Le'la Grendopul Duk'ilau
by Casanaria
Summary: Past morals, realities, and philosophies come into question as the Shadow Council begins their next project: trying to stop wizarding self-destruction. May contain mockeries of human psychology, rationality, dubious ethics, and yaoi. Serious questions will be asked with humorous intermissions. Because with great minds come great comedies and great tragedies. Wait... (YY/Y & LV/HP)
1. Prologue

[AN: Hello! Welcome to my first fanfiction. It is titled "Le'la Grendopul Duk'ilau." That means The Grey's Lightness and Darkness (in which a grey shows all aspects of its personality and is not hidden in a color) or The Light's Darkness (all shades revealed from behind a fake light). The words are in the fictional language that Shadow creatures can speak in my fanfiction, which is why they are so hard to translate.

Please enjoy and review with what you liked and/or disliked. It's impossible to insult me, so don't hold back! Just remember that both praise and criticism should be constructive to be most effective.

Also, if you would like to beta read this story, let me know. I would prefer someone with decent knowledge of literature and philosophy. Since this is a YY/Y and LV/HP story it would be great if you could be familiar with those types of pairings too. I'm a pretty good writer but I've never read the Harry Potter books, so I'm writing the HP part of this story with what I've learned from reading HP fanfiction. *sheepish grin* I promise to do my best to canon fact check. Though, I think you'll find some of my liberties refreshing.

Speaking of refreshing, I tried to apply that to my narrator but he/she came out as a bit of a smart-ass… an entertaining one nonetheless…

**Please note that unlike the norm found in many fanfictions, in this fic readers will need to read between the lines quite a bit, and much more will be implied than said. I chose to write this story this way simply because I like being frugal with words. Let me know what you think about it.**

~S]

* * *

_**Le'la Grendopul Duk'ilau**_

**Prologue**

"_When James left Chautauqua he realized he had seen spread before him the realization on a sample scale of all the ideals for which a scientific civilization strives: intelligence, humanity, and order. Then why his violently hostile reaction? "What a relief," he said, "to be out of there." There was no sweat, he continued disdainfully, "in this unspeakable Chautauqua." "No sight of the everlasting battle of the powers of light with those of darkness." No heroism. No struggle. No strength. No "strenuousness."" – _From the History of American Education by John Taylor Gatto.

* * *

Their Council meeting had just ended. Yami rubbed his temples. Ryou had decided it was time for them to know a "tiny, little fact" – which of course meant it was really, really important. Apparently, there were other magical governments and communities. They didn't use shadow magic, at least, but forms of weaker, lighter magic. And a minor detail? Britain's community was currently in a type of civil war, against a "Dark Lord" and his followers. Furthermore, they placed their hopes of winning against him with a teenager named Harry Potter.

He was mulling over their lack of intelligent leadership when he felt a pleasant tingle run over his spine as his hand was suddenly enveloped in warmth.

"Yugi." He opened his eyes, trying to convey a thousand words in a glance, a deep feeling within a small moment of time, a true bond in an empty space. He settled for a mental thanks after berating himself for his selfishness. He knew he could do it, but at what cost?

The young man simply smiled at him and leaned closer. "So, a new adventure? I think it will at least be interesting. It wouldn't hurt to learn about types of magic different than our own. Besides, we're more powerful. We could teach those wizards a lesson. They'll come to understand that they'll never know the true meaning of dark magic."

Yami raised an eyebrow. "But couldn't it also be said that they wouldn't ever know the true meaning of light magic either?" After all, as the other half of the Shadow King's soul, Yugi possessed the most powerful light magic in the world.

Yugi's eyes sparkled. "You know I'm not interested in power, Yami."

"But you would take it if you could give it to me."

His eyes darkened. "Yes. I… would."

They didn't think of what they would do if they were one person again, balanced in a sort of normal existence, without all-consuming love, with finite life. They didn't dwell on the dialetheism of their conversation, of how though it was possible for them to truly want opposite things, it was realistically impossible. They were two halves of one person; they were one person with two halves; they were one; they were not one; can one be multiple? Were they really people?


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was a beautiful, bright day in Seychelles. Puffy clouds were left where the sun did not pierce gaseous water molecules. The ocean greeted the beach gently, as bathwater would a newborn baby – a show of pleasantly mindless gentleness. The palm tree leaves looked artificial as the sun left the darkest of shadows and the brightest of highlights. It really seemed as though it was just another ordinary day in one of Earth's most beautiful paradises. Which is to say, something was happening to change the future forever, unbeknownst to the natives or the starry eyed tourists, and even the artists who looked around with critical eyes, seeing the light's play becoming reality.

"So, how do you propose we go about stopping this 'Lord Voldemort,' Bakura?"

You see, the Council members could all teleport anywhere in the world, very quickly. Before you ask – no, they had no particular desire to explore the moon as a lunch date option yet. Where did you get that idea?

Yami's General looked at him, a calculating look in his eyes. "Knowledge is power, too. In this case I think we should first learn everything we can before confronting him. I'm sure the light side would help us. Their current leader is Albus Dumbledore – yes, Dumbledore, he looks as ridiculous as his name suggests – and he is currently the headmaster of England's magic school, Hogwarts. And, of course, Harry Potter is currently enrolled there."

"I attended a few years there, before my father and I moved to Japan to escape the war. They teach their students to do magic, but only with the help of wands – basically wooden sticks with magical cores inside them like unicorn or dragon hairs. As far as I know, Hogwarts' curriculum is not as balanced in magic as that of the other European magic schools. Hogwarts students mainly learn light or neutral magic. Darker magics are forbidden. They are biased, they think that light is good and dark is evil. I don't think they've ever thought of alternative possibilities. So, we shouldn't always trust the light side. I also think we should seriously consider what the dark side is fighting for before dismissing them." Ryou said, rubbing his chin.

"So, we'll have to infiltrate both the dark and light sides to get their side of the story and then we'll decide how to solve this war," Yami mused.

Bakura smirked. "I'll do the dark side. I'd love to see the look on Voldie's face when he figures out he can't boss me around."

Yugi rolled his eyes. "I think it would be best if the yamis work with Voldemort and the lights work with the light side. That way people won't try to suspect us as much."

Yami nodded. "Yes, that makes sense. Ryou, perhaps you can transfer to Hogwarts and become Harry's friend? And maybe you can convince the headmaster to let Yugi join too?"

"I'm a little older than Harry, but I think that it'll be fine. And we can show Dumbledore a little of our magic so that he not only accepts us but also trusts us with war news. And we still have time before the term starts to get our supplies."

"How do you think we should get in contact with Dumbledore?"

"Wizards use owls and letters, so I'll buy an owl and send him a letter requesting a meeting." Ryou shrugged.

"So the real question is how we'll get in contact with Voldemort, then?"

The young white-haired male frowned. "I think Bakura can just go up to one of his followers and ask to be taken to Voldemort. After all, there are some notoriously dark families like the Lestranges and the Malfoys." Ryou paused, drinking some of his coconut-hibiscus smoothie, "I think approaching Lucius Malfoy would be best. He seems to be one of the more sane ones, he has a more public day job so we can catch him on one of his outings, and he is definitely one of the Dark Lord's more important followers."

Bakura smirked at the image Ryou sent through their link. "He plays the role of stuck-up rich bastard quite well, hmm?"

* * *

Lucius Malfoy exited the Wizengamot session scowling. The legislation he proposed kept getting shot down by Bones and little support group. And he –

"Lord Malfoy?" A man covered in a dark cloak stepped in front of him, his voice drawling.

"Yes? Who are you?" Lucius drawled back.

"Call me Akefia. I request to be taken to your Lord." The man under the hood smirked.

Lucius narrowed his eyes. "You are either insanely brave or insanely foolish for talking about this here. I –"

"Take me to your manor, then. Surely I won't be able to hurt you there and then we might have a civil conversation?" the man cut in confidently.

Lips thinned, Lucius nodded and grabbed the man's shoulder, apparating them to the gates.

Bakura grunted at the uncomfortable feeling, and used shadows to steady himself as they got to the manor. Lucius didn't notice, as was already turning and starting to walk to the entrance. Bakura followed him into a sitting room. Lucius sat down on an armchair and motioned for the other man to do the same. A house elf was called to bring them refreshments, which it did promptly.

"You wish to be a follower of the Dark Lord?" Lucius cut to the chase.

"Something of the sort, perhaps." Bakura grinned, dropped his hood, red eyes flashing, and let the shadows surround him.

Lucius widened his eyes and quickly leaned back in his chair, flashing his wand. "What – what did you just do?"

"I'm just playing with the shadows, Lucius. You see, you may call yourself a dark wizard but it is I who is a true master of the dark." Bakura let the temperature in the room drop further before calling off the shadows.

Lucius gulped inaudibly. He realized that the man in front of him must be a very powerful wizard. He even had his Lord's red eyes. But, this Akefia wouldn't hurt him. Perhaps his Lord would even reward him for bringing such a powerful man into his service. The thought cheered him up a bit.

"Very well, Akefia. I will send an owl to our Lord and tell him of your proposal. Where should I send the answer?"

Bakura simply smirked and gave him a card fringed with gold. "Rip this and I shall come."

And with that, the man silently disappeared in a rip of dark.

Lucius was left stunned. The man had effortlessly apparated within the Manor's anti-apparition wards. Even Voldemort couldn't do so without being keyed in! He shook himself and glanced down at the card. It read:

Akefia

King of Thieves

General of the Shadow Council

As Lucius stared at it, the thin Eye imprinted in gold faintly glowed.

|XXX*XXX|

* * *

Ryou sat down opposite the Headmaster in the comfortable Hogsmeade café.

"Ryou, my boy, what did you want to talk about? I admit I was quite pleasantly surprised when I received your letter. Did you get a chance to finish your magical education in Japan?"

Ryou shook his head. "My father put me into a muggle high school. He wanted nothing to do with me after mother and sister died. He started to hate all wizards after he saw all the damage Voldemort inflicted during the war."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at his use of the name, then frowned. "Poor boy. Did you want to transfer back to Hogwarts?"

"Yes, Headmaster. I graduated from my muggle high school but I wish to get my OWLs and NEWTs too. I managed to buy a house with my inheritance, and father didn't care. I don't see him at all lately." Ryou sighed.

Dumbledore looked at him with a twinkle in his eyes. "No need to be lonely anymore, Ryou. I welcome you warmly back to Hogwarts. I assume you wish to be placed in 5th year?"

Ryou nodded. "I remember what I learned during my four years here, Headmaster."

"Excellent! Now, is there anything else you wished to speak about?"

"Well, you see… In high school I discovered that my Japanese friend also had magic."

"Hmm, indeed?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.

"He has a different type of magic than ours, so no school invited him to attend…"

"A different type of magic? How interesting. Can you describe it?"

"Actually, we discovered that I also can do his type of magic, albeit with not as much power. I don't want to show it in public, and I'm sure you understand why. We don't know its origins sir, but we know it's a form of powerful light magic." He lied the last part, not wanting to give too much away. He met Dumbledore's eyes and winced as he felt a force probing at his mind. "Please don't do that, sir, our magic makes our mind barriers very sensitive." he said with a slight reprimanding bite.

The older wizard's eyes widened for a second before they resumed their twinkling. "Forgive me, my boy. I do trust you. I was just being careful."

Ryou frowned, before sending a thought to his other half. /Did you feel that? He tried to read my mind! How can he do that to his defenseless students?/

/Sounds like the leader of the light is more manipulative than people give him credit for!/ Bakura cackled.

/Yes…/ Ryou finished their short conversation with a quick mental kiss, knowing they would discuss it in greater depth later.

"I forgive you, Professor." He paused again and took a sip from his butterbeer. "My friend, Yugi Mutou, would like to join me in fifth year. He's a quick learner, so he'll be able to catch up."

"That'll be fine." Dumbledore smiled.

"Also, Professor, he is married, and his husband Yami Atemu is an archeologist. His husband also has a different type of magic, but it's darker than ours. He is actually an expert in both magical and muggle history. Yugi was wondering if his husband could teach History of Magic this year, so they wouldn't need to be apart."

Dumbledore raised both his eyebrows this time. "Tell his husband to send me an owl. I'll interview him. I'm sure the students would love a break from Professor Binns, between you and me." Dumbledore said cheekily.

|XXX*XXX|

* * *

Dumbledore looked up when he heard a knock on his door. "Come in!"

A dark-skinned man elegantly walked – almost at a glide – into the room, red eyes focused on the headmaster as he shut the door behind him. "Headmaster." He said silkily as he held out a hand.

Dumbledore kept his face carefully neutral as he rose slightly to shake the man's hand. "Mr. Atemu, I presume?"

Yami simply nodded, looking around the office with amused eyes. "Quite a collection you have here." He raised an eyebrow at the moving portraits.

The old wizard couldn't help but notice as the man's power rolled off him in waves, his red eyes not helping the situation. "They have their sentimental values, Mr. Atemu." He summoned cups of tea and gave one to the other man. "Ryou informed me that you perform a different type of magic? You don't seem familiar with English wizarding ways?"

"Indeed. My magic is older and more powerful. Perhaps I can demonstrate." He pointed at a book on Dumbledore's desk. Then, in a burst of shadows, transported it to the grass lawn outside Dumbledore's window. Without giving Dumbledore a chance to say anything, he pointed to it and once he received confirmation that Dumbledore saw it, he simply told him to watch as he dramatically shadow-ported to the book, picked it up, and came back to Dumbledore's office. He twirled the book around with a grin and then placed it back on Dumbledore's desk.

Dumbledore was silent for a moment. "Well, that certainly proves your magical abilities. It should be impossible to apparate in or out of Hogwarts. Though, I wouldn't condone showing off your powers like that in front of the students. It might make them a bit nervous. We do have a Dark Lord running around, destroying people's lives, as I'm sure you are aware of?" At Yami's nod, he gave the man a piercing look. "Usually, only wizards who have dappled in dark magic excessively have red eyes like yours. Tell me, what do you think of the Dark Lord?"

Yami shrugged. "I didn't form an opinion of him yet, other than the fact that there must be something wrong with him because he seemingly goes around killing mindlessly. Not exactly a smart way to take control over nations in these days of slimy politics."

Dumbledore narrowed his eyes. "I see."

Suddenly, Fawkes flew off his perch and landed in front of Atemu. /Ra's favorite son? The true Shadow Lord? Is that truly you? What an honor!/ Fawkes bowed.

/The pleasure is mine, beautiful one./ Yami thought back to the phoenix, smiling. /It's been thousands of years I've last seen one of Ra's faithful messengers. What is your name?/ He stroked the phoenix under its chin and it trilled softly.

/The old wizard calls me Fawkes. He cannot speak, after all. My true name is Banu'Qlai. You may call me Qlai, my Pharaoh./

/Nice to meet you Qlai. Will you tell me about your master?/

/He is not as innocent as he looks, but I'm sure you know that already/. Yami nodded. /If you gain his trust he will tell you very important information about the current Dark Lord. He is a powerful man, Pharaoh. He stays as a school headmaster not for lack of power, but to control his most important pawn, young Harry Potter. Will you protect the child?/

/Of course, Qlai. Thank you for the information./

Qlai nodded and flew back to his perch.

Dumbledore had watched with fascination. "You spoke to Fawkes?"

Yami nodded. "It's a power that comes with my and Yugi's kind of magic."

"But Ryou told me your husband uses a type of light magic?"

"He does, but our magics cannot survive without each other. We're literally soulmates. We share a lot of the same powers."

"Well, then I'd love to hear the story of how you met someday. Seeing how well Fawkes reacted to you, I'm already pretty sure I'll hire you, but for formality I must you how about your knowledge of magic history?"

"All I can tell you is that I know much more than any textbook will ever tell you." He turned away from Dumbledore and faced the phoenix. "Qlai, should Dumbledore hire me to teach History of Magic?"

Qlai bobbed his head and trilled happily. Dumbledore put an amused smile on his face. "Qlai is his real name, hmm? Well, Qlai, does Mr. Atemu know enough to teach History?"

The phoenix repeated the previous motions. Dumbledore smiled softly. "Well, Mr. Atemu, welcome to Hogwarts. Term starts September 1st, but you may come in earlier to set up your classroom. Let me show you to the quarters you will be staying in." Dumbledore walked to the door.

Yami stood up and followed him down the staircase. "Thank you Headmaster. You may call me Yami now that we are colleagues." He smiled at the other man.

Dumbledore bowed his head in acknowledgement. "Call me Albus, then, Yami."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The four council members met outside the Leaky Cauldron as Ryou had planned for them, two days later. They exchanged pleasantries as Ryou led them through. Yugi and Yami looked around curiously at the odd assortment of wizards.

"This is how you get into Diagon Alley." Ryou explained as he stood into front of a brick wall. He brought out his wand and tapped a few of the bricks. The others grinned as they saw his small trick. Ryou stepped through and let them look around for a few seconds before leading them to the mission of the day: getting them wands. Though they wouldn't actually need them to perform magic, they tried to be careful to fit in. Ryou pointed out the bookstore, the Quidditch shop (a wizard sport played on brooms, Ryou informed them), and a few others before they stopped in front of an old store named "Ollivanders."

Ryou slowly opened the door and they walked in. It was understandably empty. Ryou cleared his throat. "Mr. Ollivander?"

There was a rustling behind the stacks as Ollivander came to the storefront. "Ah, Ryou Bakura. It's been a while. 12 inches, holly and unicorn hair. Quite supple." He looked at the other three males. "Getting your wands, I presume? A little old, hmm?"

Bakura sent him an unamused look. "Just get us the wands, old man!" Ryou elbowed him, hissing about manners under his breath.

Ollivander shrugged and motioned him forward. "Well, then, you may go first. Which is your wand arm?"

"His right," Ryou replied for him. "It's the same as the hand you write with." he explained to the others.

"Try this one." Ollivander said, handing him a wand.

A window exploded, startling all except for Ryou and Ollivander. "No matter, no matter! What about this one?"

* * *

Their wand selection had taken quite some time, and they all received special, ancient wands that Ollivander hadn't been able to sell for centuries. Afterwards, Ryou had practiced some spells with them and they parted after Ryou left them a few books to read and learn from.

Yami wrapped his arms around his lighter half once they arrived back to their temporary English home. "Aibou…" Yami breathed in Yugi's ear, making the younger shiver. "Will like to go on a date with me tomorrow? I want to try some wizard ice-cream," He licked the tip of Yugi's ear and gently sucked on the lobe.

"H-Hai, Yami," Yugi whispered, turning to passionately kiss his other half's lips.

Yami's eyes flashed dark red as he whispered a lewd ice-cream joke in his light's ear, causing Yugi to blush deeply and mumble something about needing to get ready for dinner before he quickly walked into the kitchen. Yami chuckled at his light's antics, grabbed a magic book, and sat down to read.

|XXXIXXX|

* * *

Meanwhile, in Number 4 a fat middle aged man was getting his family ready to go visit their new neighbors. "Boy! Are you ready yet? You better look acceptable! I will not have our new neighbors criticizing us because of a freak like you!" He knocked loudly on Harry's bedroom door. He had moved the boy out of his cupboard this summer because of Harry's increased height. The Dursley went back downstairs, muttering about how reclusive their new neighbors were.

Little did he know, Seto had helped Yugi and Yami move into Harry's neighborhood after hacking several government and school databases to find out where Harry lived, and got them moved without Dumbledore finding out.

Harry slowly walked out his room and to the front door, where his uncle looked him over. "At least you can put on a tie, boy!" Harry snorted in reply.

A few minutes later, he was let out the door, Petunia holding a dish she cooked for their mysterious new neighbors. They walked a few houses to the right, stopping at Number 8. Petunia straightened her dress and rang the doorbell, putting a fake smile on her face as she waited for the neighbors to open the door. The lights were on inside the house, so they knew the neighbors were inside.

After a few moments, a man opened the door. His sharp red eyes glanced at each of them and he grinned when he saw Harry, sensing his magic. Harry's eyes widened. Had Voldemort somehow moved into his neighborhood without Dumbledore knowing it?

"Hello," the man said silkily. "You must be our neighbors. You live in Number 4, right?"

"Yes," Petunia said, a bit shakily. "You must be very observant to know that already."

The man smirked slightly. "Observant… yes, you could say that…" He called behind him: "Aibou, the neighbors are here!" He sent the image of Harry Potter dressed up mentally.

"Alright! I'm almost done," Yugi's melodic voice called from the kitchen.

Harry's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. Voldemort had a new … sidekick? He paused in his thinking, noting that his scar wasn't hurting. He hadn't received any visions lately either. _What's going on?_ He asked himself.

"Come in, we were just about to have dinner." Yami led them into the house.

Yugi walked into the living room, looking at their guests curiously and rubbing Yami's arm affectionately. "Hello, I'm Yugi. That's Yami. Nice to meet you."

Dudley's eyes widened and he gaped at them, eye traveling back and forth. "W-what! I thought I recognized you! You're Yugi Mutou! The King of Games!"

Yugi smiled indulgently. "Yes, yes I am."

"Wow! I-I'm a huge fan. Can I have an autograph?"

Harry's brows furrowed. They did seem familiar. Were they the people from Dudley's game magazines?

Yugi chuckled. "Sure." He looked around, not seeing any paper. Yami rolled his eyes and summoned a paper and marker for him, putting it into his hand. "Oh, thanks Yami," Yugi said distractedly and signed his name, handing it over to Dudley, whose face had a mixture of disgust and awe.

"You're one of them!" Vernon spit out, pointing an accusing finger at Yami.

Yami raised an eyebrow. "One of who?"

"A freak! Like the boy!" He pointed at Harry.

Yugi frowned, noticing how thin Harry was and how his clothes didn't look like they belonged to him. /Yami, do you think they're… abusing him? The wizarding world's "savior?"/

Yami narrowed his eyes. /He looks like he didn't have a proper meal in a long time. And seeing as how they call him "freak"…/ Yami growled. /How could Dumbledore let that happen? / Yami paused. /Unless… unless Dumbledore planned it that way. So Harry would become dependent on him, so he could be a willing weapon./

"If you think we're freaks, you're welcome to leave. And leave Harry with us. We don't want you abusing him anymore." Yami intoned lowly.

Petunia huffed, grabbed the food she had put down on the table, and walked out, Vernon and Dudley quickly following.

Harry stood awkwardly in the center of the room. "Are you… with Voldemort?"

The two exchanged glances. "No, we're not with anybody but ourselves, Harry." Yugi said softly.

"But…" Harry looked pointedly at Yami's red eyes.

Yugi smiled. "You shouldn't judge a book by its cover, Harry." He looked back to the kitchen. "Will you stay for dinner with us? We want to explain a few things to you." Harry nodded, not seeing a better alternative. "Excellent! Set the table, Yami."

Yami put three sets of utensils on the table for them and motioned for Harry to sit as Yugi transported the food into Yami's hands, which he placed on the table.

After they all sat down, Harry cleared his throat. "What do you want me for? If you're not working for Dumbledore, how did you manage to get past the wards in the neighborhood without alerting him?"

Yugi sighed. "We use a different type of magic then yours. Our magic is really unique, and only a few other people in the world are able to use it. It's a long story, but basically our magic complements us and each other. Yami has the darker half of the magic, and I have the lighter half, which makes us pretty stereotypical soulmates in that sense." Yugi smiled and shrugged. "But we can talk about that in more depth later. How about some smoked salmon?"

* * *

|XXXX|

They had a pleasant, if a bit awkward, dinner. They told Harry about their move from Japan, with anecdotes about their friends, which led Harry to talk about his friends from Hogwarts. They explained about how Yugi won many Duel Monsters tournaments, which why Dudley recognized Yugi.

Yugi cleared their plates and got up to get dessert. "I'll go get the pie and fruit. Why don't you show Harry why we're such Dueling experts in the meantime?" Yugi grinned and walked into the kitchen.

Yami smirked. "Mana."

A blond girl in revealing pink clothing popped into the room, her scent of roses and Egyptian oils following closely behind. "My Pharaoh! What can I do for you?" She asked, excited as always.

"Yugi and I are getting acquainted with Harry, over here." Yami pointed, "He's a wizard like you. Show him a trick, won't you?"

Mana jumped over to Harry and looked him over. "Oh, what a cute boy!" Harry weakly tried not to look at her breasts, but failed and blushed. "How adorable!" She waved her staff around and produced a flower. "Here you go, Harry!" She placed it in his hair, making him pout.

"I'm old enough to be handsome." he disagreed.

"You look like an uke to me, though," Mana mused.

"A what?"

"Enough, Mana. You may go back to Mahado now. Thank you." Yami sighed. Harry breathed a sigh of relief and took the flower out of his hair, feeling its bright-hued, silky soft petals.

"No problem! See you later!" Mana vanished.

"You're a Pharaoh?" Harry looked at him with piercing eyes. "They haven't existed for thousands of years…"

"I used to be a Pharaoh, yes. Now I'm Shadow King, thanks to Lord Ra's blessing."

"So you're…" Harry trailed off, seeing Yami in new eyes.

"Thousands of years old? Yes. But I was trapped in my Millennium Puzzle for most of that. Yugi saved me." Before Harry could ask, Yami explained, "The millennium items were items created to store our magic. We currently keep them in storage, because we are freed from their confines now."

"We?"

"The people who have our powers are in a Council. I am its head."

Yugi came back and set down their dessert. He gave them all plates with pieces of cherry pie and ran a finger over his piece, and stuck his now-red ringer into Yami's mouth.

"It's not a huge community like yours, Harry," Yugi continued for him, "but we are pretty powerful. One of our members is Seto Kaiba. He is CEO of Kaiba Corporation, one of the largest companies in Japan. He was the one who helped us move here without Dumbledore finding out." Yugi paused. "But the main reason the wards didn't find us was because our magic is just so much more powerful than the type your magic community uses." Yugi accepted Yami's red-fingered revenge.

Harry smiled at their antics before frowning. "If your magic is "so much more powerful," why are you interested in me?"

"One of our Council members was a wizard by birth. His mother and sister were killed in the first war with Voldemort. He wanted us to stop this war so he could get revenge and so he could return home without worrying about wizarding Britain's future. Plus, Ra gave us immortality with a condition that we act as Earth's protectors. We're in charge of taking care of the problems that only we can solve."

"Er. Two questions. One: If you are against Voldemort, why didn't you just join Dumbledore? Two: Are you talking about Ra as in the … God?"

"Yes, Ra the God. But, he's really just a type of ... alien, now. Another long story." Yami shrugged. "We don't want to join Dumbledore or Voldemort yet because we don't know either personally. Harry, you must understand that there is no pure good or pure evil. That is especially true in war. You may think of Dumbledore as an infallible, pure, father or even god-like figure, but I suspect that Dumbledore manipulated you to think that way."

"Manipulated?" Harry asked incredulously. "Why would he manipulate me?"

"Harry, I don't know what excuse he gave you to make you stay with those terrible relatives of yours, but I doubt that was the true reason he did it. I think he did it because he wanted you to see him and Hogwarts as your true idol and home, respectively. He did it so that you would think that he "saved" you from them, even though he probably placed you with them." Yami gave Harry a piercing glance. "Do you honestly think that there were no options for you stay other than with the Dursleys? I'm sure many powerful wizarding families would have gladly let you stay with them. And during the summer, why didn't he let you stay at school?"

Harry's mouth opened and closed, without any sound coming out.

Yugi gazed at him softly. "I know this is a lot for you. You don't have to agree with us yet. But, it is getting late. Do you want to stay with us or return to the Dursleys? We have an extra room and don't mind if you stay over for the rest of the summer. We should at least go shopping together, you look like you don't own any decent clothes. And you're way too thin and pale. We can easily transport you to a tropical beach if you'd like." Yugi smiled. "Muggles have done a lot of research on the importance of Vitamin D, which is generated in your body after sun exposure. It's a sort of master hormone, and there is a lot of cross-talk down the pathway-" Yami slapped a hand on Yugi's mouth.

"Aibou, do you really expect him to understand what you're saying right now?"

Yugi grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, you're right." He turned to Harry. "I was bullied when I was young too. I could have died many times over if I didn't have Yami." He looked down. "After Yami was released from the puzzle and gained a human body he helped me research ways not to look like such a bully magnet. Now I have muscles, I swear! But, Yami still calls me pretty." He mock-glared.

"It's true Aibou. I've always thought you beautiful, no matter your physical appearance. Your soul and spirit are the most attractive to me. I'm a moth, drawn to your light. I'm a shadow, powerless without the sun."

Yugi blushed. "Okay, I get it!" He turned back to Harry. "I'm sorry, he's just too much of a romantic. You don't mind do you?" He looked at him worriedly.

Harry somehow found his mouth. "No, of course not." He took a deep breath. "I really appreciate your offer. I can't trust you completely yet, but I think you're being pretty convincing. How about we meet again the day after tomorrow and I'll give you my decision? I'd really like to go shopping with you guys no matter what, if that's alright."

Yugi nodded. "Great! It'll be on us then. Don't worry, we're actually pretty rich even if it doesn't look like it."

"Oh, thank you." Harry said sincerely. "I'll pay you back someday. I actually have a pretty large inheritance but I can't access it yet because I'm not an adult."

Yugi furrowed his brows. "Actually, Ryou mentioned something about that to us. He said that wizarding families are supposedly really old and rich for the most part. He told us the Potters were an example of those. That's one of the reasons we were surprised when we saw your appearance. By all accounts you should have been pretty spoiled."

Harry mulled it over, and Yami took the chance to cut in. "Harry, I'm almost certain your lack of finances is part of Dumbledore's plans. Money is power and freedom. I don't think you would have followed him as blindly if you had more resources and were more independent."

"Well, I admit I don't know much about this topic. Since I grew up with the Dursleys I'm not an expert in inheritance matters. Perhaps I could go to Gringotts – our magical bank – and ask?"

They nodded. "That's a great idea." Yugi got up and magically packaged some food for Harry to take home. "Sorry, Harry, I think we took you for too long. Take this so you won't starve tomorrow. And…" He conjured a card and signed its back. "Take this to Dudley as a peace offering. It's a rare and valuable card. Much more so with my signature on it."

Harry took it and looked it over curiously. "Alright. Thank you for everything. Don't worry about the time, they don't really care about me as long as they don't see me."

They both grimaced at his words. Harry sighed.

"You don't need to say anything. I'll see you later." He took the package and left after inclining his head in thanks.

~|XXX*XXX|~

* * *

They walked over to Number 4 at 9 AM. Petunia opened the door for them and scowled when she saw who it was.

"What do you want?"

"We'd like to borrow Harry for the day, if that's alright."

She continued scowling. "He said you offered to let him stay for the whole summer. That would be even better."

Yami smirked. "Yes, it would."

Harry quickly walked over to them and smiled. "Hey guys, I thought about it and I would like to accept your residency offer…" he trailed off, looking hopefully between Petunia and the Council members.

"Great! Would you like us to help moving your things?" Yugi asked.

"No, I don't have much, and I packed most of my things already. Let me go get my trunk." Harry rushed up the stairs and returned within a minute, during which Petunia muttered her relief about no longer having to take care of the boy, and after which she returned to the kitchen to continue reading her women's magazines.

Yugi and Yami and left once they saw Harry walking back the doorway, trunk in hand. He closed the door behind them and couldn't keep the cheesy grin off his face as they returned to Number 8. He couldn't wait to actually enjoy a summer.

He was led into a cozy bedroom where he put down his trunk. "How about having some breakfast before we go?" Yugi clapped his hands.

Harry looked him with a thankful expression on his face. "That would be great!"

XX~-*-~XX


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The coin had flipped, Harry decided, as he sipped on his sweetened white tea. He was now on a different branch of his life's tree. His luck, great and terrible, had somehow corrected what it was doing for the past years of his life and decided, now, to shower him with gifts. He couldn't help but flinch internally at the thought of what would happen in the future, when the swing turned back to the other side, when his jump would fall back to earth, in a shower of blood and lost hope, shattered youth.

"Harry, we didn't get a chance to tell you this before, but I'll be joining you at Hogwarts with year. And Yami will be our History of Magic teacher."

Harry half-spit half-choked on his tea and hastily wiped the liquid away with his hand. He grimaced as he accepted the napkin from Yami, who looked at him with amusement dancing in his devil's eyes, knives' metal cold metal reflections swallowed by algal red tides. Harry switched his gaze to the younger male, whose gaze seemed to be on the edge between implied earnestness and sympathy. "Okay, so you're serious. Fine. I never liked Binns anyway." He frowned. "But how are you going to infiltrate Voldemort's Death Eaters if you start associating with Dumbledore? Double—no, triple-spying?"

Yami lips turned upwards in a sinister smirk, allowing a sliver of white teeth to show, a facetious masquerade. "Oh we already have someone infiltrating the Death Eaters. Don't worry your pretty head about it."

Harry sighed. "Whatever you say." He picked a blueberry out of his muffin. "I've been thinking about what you guys have told me… I could barely sleep actually…" He chewed slowly. "I felt disbelief, then anger, then some sort of peace… I was angry at myself for not noticing the tactics Dumbledore was using at me, angry at Dumbledore for treating me like an unfeeling pawn, angry at Voldemort because he started all this…" He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm just so sick of this already." He gave a hollow laugh. "I just want to be normal. I don't like fame. I don't like dangerous adventures. I just did it all because of a silly sense of responsibility… And people never truly appreciated it, they alternate between hating me and groveling at my feet in an instant, fueled by ignorant press, ignorant words, inflated egos." His face was solemn. "I think you're the first people who never treated me like a child, who told me the hard truth, who opened my eyes out of naivety. So, I'd like to thank you. I promise to try to listen to you with a more open mind in the future. You can count on my help in the future."

They smiled at him genuinely.

Their trust had strengthened at that moment, their fates linked irreversibly.

That night, Harry slept peacefully for the first time of his summer.

* * *

Bakura smirked as he felt his card calling him. _Finally_, he thought,_ I meet the mockery of evil_.

He teleported into a dark, large chamber, finding dozens of wands pointed at him. Bakura scowled at them and made shooing motions with his hand. "No need for those sticks, won't work on me anyway." A few dark spells were cast on him, unblockable to normal wizards. He waved them away. "How predictable," he mused. He glanced around. "Hello Lucius, and," he paused at the snake-like figure sitting on the stone throne, "you must be Lord Voldemort."

"Greetingsss, Akefia," Voldemort said sibilantly, "Lucius has informed me of your wish to be in my service. I must admit I am intrigued. I would like capable servants for a change."

Bakura laughed. "You make a terrible politician." The Death Eaters gasped lowly, who dared insult the Dark Lord?

Voldemort narrowed his eyes. "I would _crucio_ people for that, but somehow I think that wouldn't work on you." He scrutinized Bakura's appearance. "Why do wish to join me?"

"Actually, I don't wish to join you… yet." Bakura spoke slowly, making sure the mortals hung on his every word. "I am a representative from the Shadow Council. We wish to stop this war once and for all. We are currently researching both sides to see which, if any, to join, and which to… annihilate." He grinned evilly and looked directly into Voldemort's eyes. "If you don't properly convince us that you have proper reason for all this killing, we might be forced to take action." He bounced a shadow ball with one hand and then crushed it in mid-flight. "What do you say?"

Voldemort ordered all his Death Eaters away and stood up, motioning for the other man to follow him.

He led him to a sitting room. "A Council of Shadows… I heard of it while I was traveling the world. Rumors of men who attained immortality by losing their humanity, by splitting their very souls. Is it true?"

Bakura raised an eyebrow. "You are certainly well informed. Why do you ask?"

Voldemort laced his fingers. "All of my life I longed for immortality. I never wanted to be some common wizard. I needed to be great. My greatest fear is dying, attaining the same fate of those below me. I didn't believe the rumors, per se, but I did it anyway."

Bakura felt a sense of dread, his tongue suddenly drying. "Did what?"

"I split my soul." Voldemort said quietly.

Bakura gaped at the man. "What? Are you crazy? No wonder your aura is all over the place. Jeez, man…" He felt a headache coming on.

"Six times. I was almost at seven, but then what was left of my soul left my body the fateful day I met Harry Potter."

"So that's why your plans get nutty." Bakura rubbed his forehead. Voldemort frowned but nodded. "You need to get your soul back together, at least for the most part. We won't help you if you don't let us do this for you first."

The other man silently nodded again. "I regret making so many sometimes… I thought, before, that splitting my soul would give me control over my emotions, but now they take over me… I cannot calm my anger easily, and my soul hasn't seen true happiness for such a long time. In any case, normal wizarding magic could never repair souls."

"Normally, I doubt even my magic could do it either." Bakura stood up. "I need to consult with the Shadow King. We'll need to think about this. See you later." He teleported away.

Voldemort sat there, a sudden turmoil of sensations assaulting his mind.

* * *

It was a few days after their successful shopping trip that Bakura popped in the Mutou residence as they were finishing their dinner.

"Big news. Voldemort is crazy because he split his soul a few times and now we need to help him get the pieces back together." Bakura summoned a fork and put some of the food into his mouth. He hummed. "Mmm, this is tasty."

The others were left with varying degrees of surprise, incredulousness, and shock. For slightly different reasons, of course.

"He split his soul?" Yami.

"Cook your own food!" Yugi.

"Who…?" Harry.

Bakura let his gaze travel over the black-haired teen. "Harry Potter. Nice to meet you. You can call me Bakura." He reached out a hand, which Harry shook slowly.

"Bakura is Ryou's dark half and the Shadow Council's General." Yami sighed. "We'll have to speak to Ra and ask for his advice on this. I'll also ask Ishizu if she knows any soul-locating rituals. Tell Seto to schedule the Gate for us, will you?"

Bakura nodded and jumped up, vanishing his fork to where it came from. "See you tomorrow!" He disappeared in a puff of shadows.

Harry blinked and shook his head. _I'll have to get used to that._

* * *

Once they got to Voldemort's throne room Bakura immediately got to work drawing the ritual markings on the floor and Yami turned to Voldemort to explain his presence.

"Greetings, Voldemort. I am the Shadow King. You may call me Yami. We have talked to Ra and he has allowed for us to piece your soul back together. He has allowed you to keep one of your external soul pieces. He told us it will be the one which will surprise you most, which means you probably made one without knowing it." Yami held out an athame and golden chalice. "Now, some of your blood, please."

They proceeded with the Gathering Ritual, Voldemort watching as his Horcruxes popped into the drawn circle one by one. Voldemort raised his eyebrows when he saw a larger shape appearing. "The surprise…?"

Harry clutched his head as he landed on solid ground. He slowly opened his eyes and looked up, eyes widening when he saw the other people in the room. "No way."

"Yes," Yami corrected him. "It seems as though you're the lucky Horcrux, Harry."

Voldemort and Harry voiced their objections at this, but Yami and Bakura just scowled at them. "Voldemort, you must go through with this. Lord Ra's condition was that you prove your worth by taking care of your Horcrux." Bakura said seriously.

Yami continued for him. "Harry, this is the only way to end your feud with Voldemort peacefully."

The two rivals glared at each other but agreed reluctantly.

That day was the first time the sight of Voldemort in pain bought Harry negative emotions.


	5. Chapter 4

Hello again.

I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far, evil cliffhangers aside.

I just wanted to point out that the concept of Ra and Yami's court was highly influenced by the fanfiction "Those Distant Stars" and its sequel(s). It's one of my favorite YGO fanfictions and I highly recommend that you read it if you haven't done so already. Great introduction to the YY/Y pairing.

Since this is a crossover fanfiction I understand that some readers won't be entirely familiar with all the characters or pairings in the fanfiction. I never knew who to ship Harry with in the past (Draco was a possibility, but … meh), but I read "Prince of the Dark Kingdom" recently and that completely changed my mind about that. I can't imagine Harry with anyone but Tom/Voldemort now. I also recommend "In Somno Veritas." You won't think I'm as crazy anymore if you read the above (I hope).

I'll try update more frequently this week but the chapters will probably be shorter.

-S

* * *

Chapter 4

Voldemort groaned as he came into consciousness. Everything felt different. The outside was suddenly inside, body a remnant of metamorphosis, soul trapped and freed by illusion and reality.

There was an insatiable tug that led him out, out and made him open his eyes….

"You're finally awake."

Voldemort looked weakly around the room. "Where…?"

"You're staying in the Shadow King's house for the time being. You'll feel weak for a while, and I'll have to stay close to you so that you won't feel as much soul pain. The ritual basically made us soul mates." Harry made a face. "At least you have your old body back." Harry handed him a mirror. "No way I would sleep with you otherwise." He shivered in disgust. "Speaking of appearances, though, why didn't you just wear glamours?"

Voldemort studied his now-youthful visage in the small mirror, noting how he still had his red eyes. "I was proud of my departure from humanity, Harry. I also wanted my followers and enemies to fear me, not admire me. I had already used my handsome charm when I was in Hogwarts. I wanted to abandon any notions of my childhood, cut my roots with any muggle ties. I hated my name. Tom Marvolo Riddle. How common." Voldemort sneered.

Harry squirmed awkwardly. "I'll get you something to eat." He left the room.

* * *

A few days later, Voldemort was finally able to walk around by himself, and he smiled at the feeling of quasi-freedom that his legs provided him. He quickly neutralized his facial expression. Though he had gained back most of his human emotional capacity, he didn't want to be read like an open book. He decided to play along with the Shadow King's rules for now, gain their trust, and then crush them. He would show them that Voldemort was the true leader. And Harry? He would be his pet, his to torture, his to order, his to slowly destroy.

He was about to open another book to read when the Shadow King's other half came into the small library room. "Tom? We were wondering if you were feeling well enough to explain your philosophy to the Council…?"

Voldemort grimaced. He hated how the group had started to call him by his muggle name, citing lengthiness issues with his Lord name.

"I feel fine. When can we leave?"

"In about thirty minutes. I just need to tell everyone that you're coming." Yugi turned to Harry, who was laying on the couch reading a book about dark magic that Voldemort had recommended to him. "Harry, you can change into your beach wear. We're going to our favorite place in Seychelles." Yugi smiled at him and left.

Harry reluctantly put a bookmark in his book and closed it. He sat up and glanced at Voldemort. "Hey, this book is actually pretty interesting. I didn't know the Ministry had classified so many spells as "dark magic" simply because of how powerful they were. I can't believe how thin the lines between light, neutral, and dark magic are either. And, it's just plain ridiculous that they banned those healing spells. I mean, they're healing spells for Merlin's sake." He huffed and stood up, walking over to the door.

Voldemort smirked at him and grabbed his wrist, pulling him close. "Never question my powers of persuasion, my Horcrux."

Harry widened his eyes. "What- what are you doing?"

Voldemort leaned closer, still smirking. "You'll fall for me, Harry. I'll make sure of it. You're mine now." His breath ghosted over the boy's ear. "The light side is doomed, now, Harry. I'm sure you've realized that. What will they do without their savior? Their only hope?" His arms snakes around Harry's waist. "The best part is that they have no idea…"

Harry pushed him away, ignoring the pleasant sensations that rushed around his body when they touched. "The light side may doomed, Tom, but so is the dark. We can't hurt each other anymore, so we'll as good as equals now. Plus, the ritual changed you forever. You'll never be the man you were when you were known as Voldemort. I won't let you hurt anyone else!"

Tom clenched his fists. "You think I'll change all my plans for you, Harry? Are my charms already affecting you that much, that you forget my true identity?" He closed the space between them again. "Tom Marvolo Riddle. I am Lord Voldemort." He ran his fingers through the boy's hair. "I'll keep you safe, of course. My precious Horcrux. Would you be happy if I spare your pathetic friends, too?"

"I'll never let you touch my friends!" Harry moved his hands to try to move Voldemort's hands from his hair, but the older male was faster. He grabbed his wrists and pushed them above his head, pushing them both against a wall. He pushed a knee between Harry's legs, grinding it on a place that predictably made Harry blush. "I've trapped you, Harry. How can you order me around?"

"We're both trapped, Tom. Ra has trapped us in his chessboard destinies. If you don't play by his rules, you'll be trapped forever. And, you know what? I won't go down with you. I don't want to play these games. I don't want to be a pawn anymore."

Red eyed bore into his own. Would this red and green combine and form grey? Would they endlessly clash with no resolution?

"You are contradicting yourself, Harry. You scramble away from the orders of mortals, but bow to a 'God' who never showed himself to you." Voldemort let his magic dance over Harry's, smirking evilly when the boy moaned softly. "Yet you shy away from me, the one now closest to you."

"Perhaps physically and magically, but not mentally." Harry gritted out.

Tom hummed and lowered a hand to stroke Harry's cheek. "Do not forget I am one of the world's most powerful Legilimens. I can read your mind whenever I want, and without your notice. Your mind is open to mine. How would you defend yourself against this non-physical attack?"

"You'll teach me to defend myself." Harry said, trying to appear confident. "If you can reach into my mind, then anyone else can too. You wouldn't want people to steal our secrets, would you?"

Tom narrowed his eyes. "Becoming a Slytherin, little lion? I admit you make a good point. Fine, I will teach you, and in doing so, I will learn all your secrets." His lips were almost touching Harry's. "But, when we become closer and our mind-link forms, you'll have to outsmart me again, pet." He moved away and performed a wandless _tempus_ charm. "You'll have to hurry to change. Don't want to be late, do you?"

"Bastard," Harry growled, and quickly walked to their room, filled with a nauseous mix of arousal, anger, and disgust.


	6. Chapter 5

_I am talking about real phenomena in this chapter. Here are some quotes to help your understanding (the first three are by Bukowski, the rest from the book mentioned in the prologue):_

\X\

1. "The streets were full of insane and dull people. Most of them lived in nice houses and didn't seem to work, and you wondered how they did it."

2."And what hurts is the steadily diminishing humanity of those fighting to hold jobs they don't want but fear the alternative worse. People simply empty out. They are bodies with fearful and obedient minds. The color leaves the eye. The voice becomes ugly. And the body. The hair. The fingernails. The shoes. Everything does."

3. I remember once, working as a packer in this lighting fixture company, one of the packers suddenly said: "I'll never be free!"

One of the bosses was walking by (his name was Morrie) and he let out this delicious cackle of a laugh, enjoying the fact that this fellow was trapped for life.

4. "An irremediable flatness is coming over the world. Bourgeoisie and mediocrity, church sociables and teachers' conventions are taking the place of the old heights and depths...The whole world, delightful and sinful as it may still appear for a moment to one just escaped from the Chautauquan enclosure, is nevertheless obeying more and more just those ideals sure to make of it in the end a mere Chautauqua Assembly on an enormous scale."

5. Frances Fitzgerald, in her superb study of American textbooks, _America Revised,_ notes that schoolbooks are superficial and mindless, that they deliberately leave out important ideas, that they refuse to deal with conflict—but then she admits to bewilderment. What could the plan be behind such texts? Is the composition of these books accidental or deliberate?

'The ideology that lies behind these texts is rather difficult to define... it does not fit usual political patterns...the texts never indicate any line of action...authors avoid what they choose to and some of them avoid main issues...they fail to develop any original ideas...they confuse social sciences with science...clouds of jargon...leave out ideas...historical names are given no character, they are cipher people..._there are no conflicts, only "problems"_. [emphasis added]'

6. In 1882, fifth graders read these authors in their _Appleton School Reader_: William Shakespeare, Henry Thoreau, George Washington, Sir Walter Scott, Mark Twain, Benjamin Franklin, Oliver Wendell Holmes, John Bunyan, Daniel Webster, Samuel Johnson, Lewis Carroll, Thomas Jefferson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and others like them. In 1995, a student teacher of fifth graders in Minneapolis wrote to the local newspaper, "I was told children are not to be expected to spell the following words correctly: back, big, call, came, can, day, did, dog, down, get, good, have, he, home, if, in, is, it, like, little, man, morning, mother, my, night, off, out, over, people, play, ran, said, saw, she, some, soon, their, them, there, time, two, too, up, us, very, water, we, went, where, when, will, would, etc. Is this nuts?"

/X/

_As far as I'm concerned, current American society is like a false utopia, where most people confuse school with education, where they aspire to get jobs instead of create jobs, where politics is taken way too seriously._

_This chapter is dedicated to people like Peter Thiel, who are actually doing something about it._

_Cheers!_

_-S_

* * *

Chapter 5

Tom looked over the dark, dark group assembled in this light place, seeming paradise. Perhaps not all that dark, he mused. Nor that light, in this paradise.

He had told them of how the Ministry had become corrupt over the centuries and how the society had increasingly shied away from wizards who showed great displays of power. He explained how the wizards had become obsessed with their egos, how they had taken away the rights from magical creatures, beings, and humans who had creature blood. The vampires, werewolves, giants, and others were not intrinsically evil, of course. They committed as many crimes as wizards did, but each time they received more attention, as if their differences caused their "problems." Instead of trying to learn more about them, the wizards always went the easy way and just banned and discriminated anything that had something to do with them. Over the centuries their original rich wizarding culture had been lost, and they adapted many ideas from the muggles, not all which could be applied to wizards. From the muggle monotheistic religions came the association of dark with 'evil' and light with 'good.' As the Ministry kept taking away the darker, more powerful spells from school curriculums, the more the braver, more adventurous students had to sneak and covertly learn the dark magics, often causing injuries of body and mind, a vicious cycle. Muddled causes and effects. Soon, people had become complacent, docile. Magic wasn't advancing much anymore, but people were happy because they were safe. Knowledge and innovation or safety?

'Like how the non-magical peoples had gone from over-production to under-protection because of the Industrial Revolution and its education system,' Seto had commented. 'People are now waiting for someone else to solve their problems, someone else to invent new devices and toys, someone else to treat their cancers.'

We join their present a few minutes after Seto had made his comment, each of them evaluating the implications of Tom's speech.

"It makes sense," Harry said softly, "but I still don't understand why you had to kill so many people."

Tom's smile seemed to mock itself. "The same reason why the Hebrews took 40 years to cross the desert into Israel."

Bakura stiffened. "אתה…" [AN: "Atah"/You] He couldn't believe the man had the audacity to compare his deeds to that of his ancestors.

Voldemort just smirked as his gaze switched from Harry to Akefia. "The God of the Hebrews was supposedly all-powerful, yet he couldn't properly lead his people through the desert? You should know better than anybody else here that it doesn't take 40 years to cross it. I'm quite sure Moses led them in circles on purpose."

The white-haired man's eyes flashed bright red. "What are you implying, you cursed snake?"

Riddle spread his hands. "Think about it. What kind of people were the Hebrews from Egypt? Just a bunch of former slaves. Would you start a nation with a bunch of uneducated, poor, desperate former slaves? I didn't think so. Think about what 40 years meant back in that time. It was exactly the right number of years for the slaves to all die off and leave a fresh generation - one never enslaved, one hopeful and full of youthful energy, moldable. They had the perfect blank slate on which to create a generation of religious followers. I didn't have a desert to lead people through, so I decided to just kill off those who disagreed with me to be done with it. I knew there would be no chance to 'convert' those already so deeply in love with the Light."

There was shocked silence.

"You're sick," Harry whispered.

Tom moved close to him and gently stroked Harry's arm. "I used to be sick, perhaps, my Horcrux. Do not forget that I spent most of my adult life with a severely torn soul. Can you blame it on the person I now am?"

"You're not innocent," Yami said gravely.

"He's not," Seto agreed, "but I liked his exegesis better than Rashi's. It was less religious and superstitious." Seto's lips quirked upwards.

"I have to say that I agree with a lot of Tom's criticisms of the current wizard government. However, I cannot condone his methods." Ryou sighed.

"Guys, I don't think the dark or light side should win the wizarding war. We need to form our own side." Malik commented.

"Then, Voldemort needs to be destroyed." Bakura said with conviction.

"Excuse me?" Tom glared. "What about Dumbledore?"

"Dumbledore and Voldemort, then." Bakura replied easily.

"We're talking about your case somewhat metaphorically, Tom," Yami placated, "we mean 'Voldemort' as in the man you used to be. We'll help you and Harry rule over the British wizarding world, but not the same way as you were planning before. This time you'll have to go the legal way and get elected. Harry will publicly destroy Voldemort and then endorse you for the top-"

"Minister," Ryou supplied.

"Yes, the Minister position. I'm sure you'll win because of Harry's celebrity position and influence."

"Huh? What will I be, the stay at home wife?" Harry grumbled.

Yami tilted his head. "Whatever you want, Harry. I had thought you wanted a normal life?"

Harry looked down. "I don't want people to whisper about me everywhere I go." He paused, thinking. "I certainly don't want to be Minister. But, if Tom will be the Minister then he could…" He turned and grabbed Tom's hand. "Make me Head Auror!" He grinned boyishly.

Tom couldn't explain what he felt at that moment, seeing his former enemy shining in innocent happiness. He glanced at their joined hands and decided that he enjoyed being the object of Harry's emotions. He tightened his grip on the teen. "Of course." He made his voice silky, exercising his powers as a master of seduction.

* * *

Tom grinned as he saw his Inner Circle members entering into the throne room. Harry sat in a newly conjured throne by his side. Akefia stared into space, _probably talking to his other half_, Tom mused.

The highly ranked Death Eaters, now all present, looked at Harry's darkened form and Akefia in disbelief.

"You'll all probably wondering how Akefia rose in the ranks so quickly. There are quite a few reasons for this. This is the first." Tom pointed his wand at his face and dropped his glamours. He smirked at their inhaled breaths. "Akefia was kind enough to show me a ritual which would give me back my original body." He twirled his wand. "But, I think his second present was even more important." He motioned to Harry, who nodded and dropped his hood.

"Harry Potter!" Lucius yelled. He forced his hand to stop reaching for his wand. He bit his lip harshly. He mind was screaming, desperately wanting to ask _'What is the meaning of this?'_ but he forced himself to stay quiet.

"Yes, Harry Potter." Tom rolled the name on his tongue. "Akefia helped me convince Harry to join our side. Isn't that right, Harry?"

Harry nodded and said his confirmations. He turned his head to the Death Eaters. "I have joined Tom, but as his equal. You'll have to obey my orders as you do Tom's."

Lucius seethed. Had his Lord lost his mind?

"My Lord, why did you not simply kill Potter when you had the chance? What could he possibly offer you?" Avery asked, trying to sound polite.

"Harry is a very powerful wizard," Tom sneered, "as is Akefia. Akefia's condition for staying in my service was for me to not kill Harry. This set up will actually be win-win for both of us." Tom almost rolled his eyes at his Death Eater's confused expressions. "We have agreed to not kill each other. Furthermore, Harry will help us defeat Dumbledore once and for all. However, we will not be able to kill as freely as we have in the past. Our new plan is to fake my death in a battle that will…" Tom paused, a slight grin reaching his face, "remove… Dumbledore from power, after which Harry will help me get elected as Minister of Magic. Once I become Minister we will be able to pass or change any laws we like, thanks to our spies in the Ministry and our combined star power."

"My Lord… How do we know we can trust this… Akefia, or Potter, for that matter? What's to stop them from backstabbing us?"

"Trust," Tom hissed the word, "nothing an Unbreakable Vow can't attain." Tom smirked maliciously, knowing his lie would convince his Death Eaters.

* * *

"I won't mind letting you torture Snape, Tom. Can't stand the slimy git." Harry bounced on his feet as he followed the other male back to their chambers. Their double spy was not part of the Inner Circle, and therefore had no inkling of their current plans. "And the look on Malfoy's face when he realized who I was … priceless." Harry chuckled.

Tom motioned Harry before him and then closed the bedroom door. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, then." He spelled off their outer robes. "Did you finish the series I gave you?" Harry nodded. "Excellent. You'll need to start practicing dark and wandless magic next. I'll also duel you so that you can gain some practical skills."

Harry shifted. "Er, thanks Tom. That's nice of you, I guess." He squeaked as Tom wrapped his arms around his waist.

"I want the best for my Horcrux," he whispered into the younger male's ear. Harry shivered. He was about to voice a reply when Tom grabbed his chin and pushed his mouth on top of his.

Their first kiss was sloppy, their teeth banged together uncomfortably, and their tongues just barely met before they stopped to catch their breaths. A somewhat controlled imperfection.

"Join me for a shower." Tom's voice left nothing for discussion.

* * *

Harry was sitting on Tom's lap. They were discussing their plans.

"How about this one?"

Harry watched as the words 'Death Slayer' rearranged themselves into 'Sal de Ayrseth' in the air, softly shimmering letters made of Tom's magic.

"I like it," Harry said. "Cute little homage to Salazar Slytherin, too."

Tom rolled his eyes. "And, then, for the look…" He glamoured his hair a lighter brown, made his eyes light blue, and softened his cheekbones.

Harry twisted around and his eyes widened once he took in the sight. "You don't look evil anymore." Harry said softly, astonished.

Tom dropped the glamours and smirked. "Evil? Perhaps. But, your thoughts tell me much more."

The teen blushed and stammered. "I- ah-"

"You think my real face is more handsome."

Harry glared weakly.

"I'm good looking either way? Why thank you, dear."

Harry blamed his enjoyment of the subsequent kiss on the soul magic.

_All according to plan_, Tom thought, as Harry wrapped his arms around him.

* * *

_*Time skip*_

* * *

"Harry! What happened? Are you alright?" Sirius ran up to him as the entered the Order's headquarters, hugging him tightly once he saw Harry wasn't bleeding anywhere.

Harry laughed. "I'm fine, Siri. Sal over here stopped Voldemort before he could do any damage." He motioned at the male beside him.

Sirius looked at the seeming teenager and blinked before unwrapping his arms from around Harry and extending a hand.

"Hello. I haven't seen you around before. One of Harry's friends, are ya? Thanks for protecting him."

Tom shook his hand and tried to smile. "I'm not that close to Harry yet. We just met today. I'm homeschooled."

Hermione and Ron rushed into the room.

"Harry!" Hermione sighed in relief at his lack of visible bruises.

"Hey mate! You alright?"

Harry looked at them, confused. "Hermione? Ron? What are you guys doing here?"

His friends exchanged glances. "Harry, do you know where we are?"

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Uh, Siri's house?"

"It's also the new headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix." Hermione explained.

"The Order is a group Dumbledore assembled to fight You-Know-Who." Ron continued.

Dumbledore turned to Tom. "Sal, I think you and Harry should stay here this summer. The Dark Lord might start looking for you, too. Can you convince your parents to send you to Hogwarts for this year?"

Tom nodded. "I'm sure they'll understand."

Meanwhile, Harry was silently seething. "Why wasn't I told about this before? Why didn't you guys write to me? You don't think Harry bloody Potter needs to know about how the Light side is planning to defeat Voldemort? You think I like to stay with those blasted Dursleys?!" Harry turned sharply to Sirius. "Show Sal and me where we'll be staying."

Sirius threw concerned glances at Harry's friends but nodded. As he walked them up the stairs, he tried to placate the teen. "It's not their fault, Harry. Dumbledore told us all that sending letters would be dangerous because the Dark Lord could intercept them. He didn't even let me leave this stupid old house."

Harry's frown only lessened slightly. "We've broken far more rules in the past for less. Hermione and Ron should've tried harder if they truly cared."

* * *

Harry and Tom had made a great show of getting their things from the Dursleys and the de Ayrseth house, respectively.

They were now sitting on Harry's bed, Tom explaining how to practice a few wandless spells. They had placed a silencing charm around the room so they could converse privately.

Tom stretched and congratulated Harry once he did a spell correctly.

"You know, you shouldn't push them away too much. It would be too suspicious. It was mostly Dumbledore's eloquence and his powers of manipulation that lead them to "ignore" you."

Harry sulked silently.

Tom sighed. "Just remember not to look directly at Snape or Dumbledore's eyes. They will try to practice Legilimency on you, and you are not yet a master Occlumens. It will take at least a month of more practice for you to successfully block your secrets from them when they tried to steal them."

Harry groaned. "I'm just glad to see Sirius again. He's such an awesome godfather."

Fake blue eyes shined as the man behind them plotted.

`x.`x.`x.`

* * *

_[AN:_

_And... that's Chapter 5._

_I think it's convenient how Umbridge will appear in Harry's 5th year. We'll get to see more similarities between Harry's textbooks and our own. I don't think living in academic bubbles works in any universe, you see. It will cost us, and them. ]_


	7. Chapter 6

I wrote some music based on this story...

These are all at 4shared. Just copy and paste right after the com in your URL bar.

mp3:

/mp3/k2nMbMoT/Grendopul_Theme_

Sheet music:

/office/q9ahu22X/Grendopul_Theme_1_

I used some unconventional compositional techniques with this song. I was trying to make it sound hopeful yet dark and 'creepy' at the same time. Not in the the sappy-blues-I-don't-know-if-this-is-in-minor-or-major kind of way or in the modern screw-classical-rules-I-can-definitely-change-to-another-key way of thinking. I just wanted it to be a piece to fit the mixed emotion in _Le'la_.

That reminds me: I have a concert next month (April). PM me if you are in the Miami area and would like to come.

* * *

Chapter 6

Dumbledore gazed hard at the black-haired man. "How did the Dark Lord accomplish this attack, Severus?"

"With the help of his new … follower, Akefia. The Dark Lord claimed that Akefia had found a way to track Potter, and thanks to that they caught him today once he went for a trip with his muggle guardians."

The old man put a thoughtful expression on his face. "This Akefia must be very powerful, indeed. Do you know anything about him?"

Snape sneered. "He doesn't have any manners, he has pale skin, maroon eyes, and white hair. I certainly haven't seen him around anywhere else before. I've already told you about how he showed up one day and demanded to speak to the Dark Lord." He turned to the other Order members, who were hearing about him for the first time. "He claimed he was a representative of some sort of 'Shadow Council' and would test the Dark Lord for …something. Spells didn't seem to hit him, but I had assumed it was some sort of trick."

"Shadow Council, you say?" Dumbledore paused, a feeling of déjà vu passing over him. He searched his mind, trying to connect the dots, figure out time's puzzles. Then… "Oh my," he whispered.

"What is it, Albus?" Molly asked, worriedly.

"The new History of Magic teacher this year, Mr. Yami Atemu. He has a different type of magic that seems darker than ours. When he used his magic during my interview with him the 'shadows' clung to him." He looked over the tops of his half-moon spectacles at the other Order members.

"Is he a spy for You-Know-Who?"

"No, I do not think so. He was somehow able to communicate with Fawkes and the phoenix liked him. I do, however, think that Mr. Atemu and Akefia are both involved with this Shadow Council." He paused. "The two transfer students might also have something to do with all," He mused.

"There will be transfer students this year? That's pretty rare," An Order member commented.

Dumbledore smiled slightly. "Indeed. I think there will be many excitements this year." He secretly hoped his plans wouldn't be destroyed by the new developments.

* * *

After dinner, Harry sat down with his friends (and Tom) to apologize.

"I'm sorry, guys. I know it wasn't your fault. I'm not sure what came over me. Would you forgive me?"

"Of course, Harry! We're sorry, too. We didn't realize it would affect you this much." Hermione said apologetically. Ron nodded at Hermione's statement.

Harry sighed in relief. "That's fine, then." He looked over at their table. "What were you guys doing?'

"Oh," Hermione held up her parchment. "Just some homework we didn't finish yet. Are you done with yours?"

Harry widened his eyes. "I actually do have some essays left, thanks for reminding me." He turned to Tom. "You're lucky. Transfer students don't have to do summer homework."

Tom gave him a fake smile. "Well, perhaps I can help you with yours? I am ahead in my studies, after all."

* * *

Two days later, everyone was already quite fond of 'Sal' and his 'nice' personality and intellect. It amused and scared Harry at the same time.

They were currently having lunch. Tom had told them his intricate story of lies, of how the de Ayrseths were an old pureblood family, of how he had always traveled around with his parents, experiencing the delights of Europe and learning to appreciate people's differences.

Harry had commented – sarcastically, though you couldn't hear it from his voice – that it sounded like being a part of his family sounded like a lot of fun. Sal smiled at that, and Harry swore his sinister nature showed through at that moment.

"Why, Harry, I can't say I disagree with you." Sal tilted his head and looked through his lashes. "I've been wondering… would you like to be my boyfriend?"

Harry almost choked on his drink, while Hermione and Ron looked at Sal with widened eyes.

"It's just that I think you're very handsome, and I've been your fan ever since I read about you in my history books. You're also really nice…" Tom somehow made Sal's cheeks redden.

Harry was panicking inside. He hadn't thought of how he would explain his and Tom's relationship. He supposed doing it like this would be alright, but he didn't want to make the impression that he had been gay all along. "Er, thank you Sal. That's… that's really sudden. I think you're a nice guy, too, but I've actually always liked… girls, you know?" Harry paused. "I guess… I guess I wouldn't mind trying it out for a while, though?"

Sal smiled. "Thank you, Harry. I'm looking forward to it."

Unbeknownst to them, Ginny felt like she was dying a little inside, and she quickly fled the room.

* * *

Tom grasped Harry's face gently. "Harry… My poor Horcrux… I had no idea."

They had just left Harry's mind for one of Harry's Occlumency lessons. Tom had helped go him sort his memories, fulfilling his promise to learn the other's secrets.

"I will make them pay, Harry. Nobody should do that to what is mine. Especially not filthy muggles."

Harry looked away.

Tom narrowed his eyes and moved his hands, grabbing Harry's wand and firmly placing it into Harry's hand. "Do it to me." Tom commanded.

"To you? W-why?"

Tom kissed him and when he pulled away Harry saw that his face had gone hard. "I think you'll see many similarities in our childhoods."

Harry paused for a moment and then nodded. He pointed his wand. "_Legilimens_."

Tom showed him his pain.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Tom…" Harry thought he was going insane, because he had didn't think twice as he reached over and hugged the man tightly. "It was worse," he whispered. "it was worse than mine."

"Childhood," Tom whispered into his ear, "something neither of us ever truly knew."

Harry stared at him dejectedly.

"It could be said that neither of us was truly ever innocent." Tom paused, curling his finger around a lock of Harry's hair. He suddenly smiled. "What is it like, for an adult to grow up?"

"I don't know," Harry answered. "I guess you could say it's a soul changing experience?"

Tom gave him a wry smile. "I think you may be corrupting me, Harry. I enjoy your jokes, childish as they may seem."

"I, corrupting you?" Harry shook his head. "No, who is really corrupting who in this relationship, Tom?"

For was it the soul that dictated one's actions, or was it the actions that made the soul?

* * *

Harry and his friends looked up as they heard the front door slam open.

"Dad? What's wrong? You're really early-"

"Sirius! Where is Sirius?" Arthur yelled.

Sirius came into the room. "What is it?"

"Peter Pettigrew came into the Ministry today and gave himself in. We tested him under Veritaserum and everything."

They looked at the Weasley man with shocked faces. Then everyone smiled.

Sirius tackled Harry into a hug. "I'm free…" The former Azkaban prisoner teared up. "I… I can go outside…"

"Yeah! That's awesome Sirius." Harry laughed. Then he paused and turned to Arthur.

"Did Pettigrew say _why_ he turned himself in?"

Arthur nodded slowly. "He gave us letter from You-Know-Who. Here's the creepy part: You-Know-Who wrote that he gives his condolences to Sirius."

Silence.

"And, he told Harry … 'happy birthday.'"

3,2,1…

"What?!"

* * *

Harry pushed Tom into their room. "What are you playing at, Voldemort?"

Tom raised an eyebrow. "I just wanted to give you a present. I thought you would appreciate your godfather's freedom."

Harry glared. "I mean the letter. Why go public with it?"

"Harry, Wormtail was one of my most loyal supporters. Though he wasn't very clever he could be incredibly useful at times. Giving him up to be placed in Azkaban send a very strong message. It shows my decreased dependence on him and the rest of my followers. A symbol, if you will, of change. And change, my dear Harry, causes people to start… asking questions."

The green-eyed boy crossed his arms. "I still think you just made both our images go down the drain. People will think I'm friends with the Dark Lord, now, or something just as ridiculous."

Tom smirked. "Of course we aren't friends, Harry. We're much more than simple _friends_. And why would Lord Voldemort need a _friend_?"

"You know what I mean." was Harry's acidic reply.

"You know me so well," Tom said, in a mock nostalgia. "But don't blame me. Akefia was the one who brought up my political skills. Now that I have my soul back, I promise to show you how much more terrifying politics can really be."

Harry swallowed, looking at Tom's face with a troubled gaze, mellowed helpless rage.

* * *

"So, this game of seduction has begun…" Dumbledore thought, as the _Daily Prophet_ article lay on his desk.

* * *

*Time skip*

* * *

Harry opened his eyes to see Tom's face above him. He felt Tom's hand rubbing circles on his chest.

"Where did you go last night?" He glared – or so he thought, to Tom he looked like a riled up kitten, especially with his still-bleary eyes and messy hair.

"I gave an interview to the _Daily Prophet_." Tom said airily.

"Who died?"

"Nobody," Tom chuckled. "It was a civil interview. We simply discussed my ideas and the war."

"Voldemort… giving a 'civil' … interview..." Harry sighed. "What is this world coming to?"

Tom shrugged and leaned down to nip at Harry's neck.

"Tom- ah-" Harry moaned as Tom flicked his nipple.

Tom gave his stomach a kiss before going back up to claim his lips. "This is quite enjoyable, you know."

Harry panted softly, his eyes dilated and cheeks flushed. "Yeah, well, I'm sure any guy would like this…" Harry trailed off, looking away.

Tom grasped his chin and turned it back to his direction. "Harry, while I do enjoy these activities with you, I was talking about a bigger picture. I was referring to how pleasant it can be to live life."

"Yeah, I guess life can be really nice when you're not fighting your arch-enemy," Harry replied bitterly.

Tom frowned. "I already apologized for that, Harry." He paused to readjust the bed covers lying over them. "But I have an important question for you. Do you wish to die tomorrow?"

Harry's eyes widened. "What? Of course not!"

"What about the day after that?"

"No, Tom! What's gotten into you? Why are you asking me these questions?" Harry shivered, frightened.

"Relax, my dear. I would never hurt you." The word 'anymore' lay unspoken between them. "I just wish for you to see why it is that immortality has always been so important to me. I simply cannot imagine a point in my life where I would say that I would be alright with death."

"I doubt anybody truly wants to die, Tom. It's just one of the things people just accept."

"'Just accept'…" Tom muttered. "A disease in modern society, truly. Yet, do they really 'accept'? Muggles go beyond their means to pay for drugs to extend their lives weeks or months. Wizards take potions when they are injured. Family members mourn when one of their own passes on. Does that sound like true acceptance?" Tom looked at him as he laid on his side.

Harry stared up at the ceiling. "Wanting longer life is not the same as wanting immortality. People accept because it's not realistically possible to change the fact of death right now."

"You're thinking like a muggle right now, Harry. Wizards can invent things far beyond the possible. Wizards can take _t_ out of the muggle Schrodinger equation. The beauty of immortality is being able to choose life or death, Harry. There no such choice even in longer life."


	9. Chapter 8

I think I might take back what I said about _Theme 1_. It seems like Max Reger liked to used _tons_ of chromaticism in his pieces just to show off. *shrug*

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Harry sighed as Hermione and Ron went to go to the prefect compartment and Ginny left to sit with her friends. It was September 1st and they were on the train heading to Hogwarts.

Harry didn't know how they had managed it, but somehow Tom's identity was still a secret. The Shadow Council was still a mysterious third party - or force, Harry thought. He had continued his lessons with Tom, with the help of his spelled-free-from-Ministry-traces wand.

He looked around, waiting for the Council members to show up so they could sit together, as planned.

"Hey, come sit with us," Yugi came into view, motioning for Harry and Tom to follow.

Harry nodded and walked after him.

Ryou smiled as they opened the door and set down their trunks.

"Hi Harry, Tom. We haven't seen you guys in a while. How was the Order house?"

Harry shrugged. "It was dilapidated and crowded. We couldn't go outside. I would've rather wanted to spend the summer exploring the estates I inherited. At least there we would have had more privacy… and sunshine. How about you?"

Ryou grinned. "When Bakura wasn't tormenting the Death Eaters we went sightseeing to the Nordic countries. It turns out that the fairies are really active during the summer. The elves were pretty interesting, too. And – ah yes, I may have used my inherited British governmental positions to our benefit."

Yugi rolled his eyes. "Yami and I were enjoying the calm before the storm," he explained to Harry, "and of course we worked on the classroom decorations. You'll like them, I bet."

Eventually Ron and Hermione came to sit in Harry's compartment, and were introduced to the two transfer students. Cho Chang stopped by to say hello, and Harry couldn't understand what he had seen in her.

The doors opened, revealing Draco Malfoy with his 'bodyguards.'

"Malfoy!" Ron glared. "What do you want?"

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Calm down, Weasley. As a prefect it is my job to make sure everything is going well." He turned to Yugi and Ryou. "You must be the transfer students." He paused, looking them over. "Welcome to Hogwarts."

"Thank you," Yugi smiled.

Draco extended a hand. "Draco Malfoy."

Yugi reached over. "Yugi Mutou."

Ryou shook his hand as well. "Ryou Bakura."

"Sal de Ayrseth." Draco quickly and stiffly shook his hand.

"Well, we'll be seeing each other around, especially if any of you end up getting sorted into Slytherin. Good day."

The Slytherin trio left.

"What just happened?" Ron asked.

Hermione looked as if she was trying to solve a difficult arithmetic problem and was failing. "Malfoy was … quite civil, this time."

Harry looked at Tom. /Let me guess, you had something to do with this?/ Harry tested their newly formed mind-link.

Tom simply sent him the mental equivalent of a smirk.

* * *

"Slytherin!" The Hat shouted, after only touching his head for a moment. It was really too bad the Hat couldn't tell about what it saw inside the students' heads.

Tom sent Harry and his friends a smirk as he walked over to his table.

Hermione and the Weasleys sat stunned.

"I thought he was a Hufflepuff, maybe a Ravenclaw. But Slytherin?" Ron looked constipated.

Hermione frowned and turned to Harry. "Did you know?"

Harry simply looked at her. "Sal was always wearing a mask, 'Mione." He then turned and went back to looking at the Sorting, leaving Hermione to think over his words.

* * *

Yugi and Ryou were sorted into Gryffindor, though it took the Hat some convincing for the latter, for it kept insisting that Ryou was a true Hufflepuff. After the sorting was done, Yami made his dramatic entrance, causing the Hall to break out in whispers, and of course a few squeals from the girls. Dumbledore introduced him and their new Defense teacher, Dolores Umbridge, shortly after. She gave them her pompous, empty, silly little speech, grandiose in her mind.

* * *

They had Potions first thing in the morning, Gryffindor and Slytherin. Harry wasn't surprised to see the Tom coming into the corridor, Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherins walking after him obediently.

Tom came to a stop in front of Harry. The rest of the Gryffindors watched the encounter, knowing something big was coming, though they were confused to see the new student leading the Slytherins so quickly after coming to Hogwarts.

"Harry," He greeted.

"Sal," Harry returned.

Tom smirked and pulled him in for a kiss.

There was a collective gasp. Then, the classroom door opened.

Snape looked like he was about to say something but then he stopped himself when he looked at the scene in front of him.

"Potter! What do you think you're doing?!"

* * *

Tom sat with Harry for the whole Potions class. Snape couldn't figure out how Harry suddenly knew all the answers to his questions, and could hardly take off points when one of his Slytherins was working with him. Tom gave him a copy of his schedule, and made a copy of Harry's for himself.

Harry felt immensely relieved as they parted and Hermione and Ron joined him to walk to their next class.

"Harry! Did you see how Sal was acting?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, he was talking to Snape like he was above him… He wasn't this bratty during the summer."

Hermione nodded. "It's like he's completely different."

Harry sighed. "A politician wears many masks," He said quietly.

"Huh?" Ron and Hermione asked, confused.

Harry shook his head, and his friends were left exchanging glances.

* * *

Harry was fuming by the time by the time he left the Defense class. He had somehow gotten a detention on his first day. He felt that he wouldn't learn any real skills in the class this year, and the thought left him depressed and angry. The only thing that made him feel better was the fact that he had HoM next.

He, along with the other students, weren't disappointed. The classroom door and walls were covered in gold, stone, and hieroglyphics, that Harry was sure would cost a fortune to own. The lesson was fascinating, and the students were left amazed as Yami spun for them the introduction to the long, beautiful, history of the Magicks, light and dark, old and new. Slowly, time and lines began to blur and sharpen, where Yami directed his words.

By the time dinner came around, the castle was bustling with so much gossip that even the ghosts were commenting at the excitement. They eagerly discussed Voldemort's return, his strangely peaceful behavior, whether or not this new Voldemort was an imposter, and their amazement at the fact that Harry Potter was dating a Slytherin.

Afterwards Tom gestured for Harry to follow him, and he did. Tom led him to the Room of Requirement.

The older male grinned as he saw the stuffed dummies, couch, and bookshelves. "Excellent. We'll use this Room for spell and duel practice."

Harry nodded. "I'll need it even more, now that we don't really have Defense this year."

"Ah yes, what a vile woman. I heard she gave you detention?"

Harry scowled. "She said Voldemort wasn't actually back and that the papers over-exaggerated. She called me a liar and tried to humiliate me in front of the class. I might have lost my temper."

Tom gave him an appraising look. "My, my, Harry, you must work on your political skills, hmm?" Tom walked around him, a panther stalking its prey.

"Very funny, Voldie." Harry muttered sarcastically.

* * *

Meanwhile, Dumbledore had invited Yugi and Ryou to his office.

"How was your first day, my boys?" His eyes twinkled merrily.

"It was fine," Yugi answered. Ryou nodded in agreement.

"Were you able to catch up over the summer?"

Yugi nodded. "Yep, Yami and I study pretty quickly when we do it together."

"Ah. A side effect from your magic?"

Yugi shrugged. "Partly."

"I was wondering whether you boys were willing to show examples of your unique magic to me. I could help you find your affinities in our magic." '_And see how valuable you could be as allies to the light side_,' were the words understood implicitly, silently.

The teenagers exchanged glances with each other and then tilted their heads in agreement.

Dumbledore watched in awe as their skin started glowing, wings sprouted out of their back, and they lifted gently off the ground. "True beings of Light," he whispered.

* * *

Yami smirked as he saw Yugi coming into their chambers while brushing off remaining light sparkles from his clothes. "Showed off to Dumbledore?"

"Yeah, what a manipulative old man…"

Yami stood up and walked over to his other half. "I should be the only one to see your true form," he whispered huskily, "you're mine, Aibou."

"Ah, Yami— stop," he protested weakly as Yami's hands traveled lower. "I have homework."

"Shh, I'll do it for you. I have plenty of reserves built up. I'll just skip sleep tonight." He promptly pushed Yugi onto the large bed.


	10. Chapter 9

_AN: I moved Ryou's birthday a day… ^^;_

* * *

Chapter 9

The decibel level of the Hall's chatter increased substantially as a large falcon entered, swirling around majestically before swooping down.

Ryou blinked a few times before smiling at the bird as it landed on his shoulder. "Hello there, what have you got for me?"

The bird's leg extended from its snowy white body, and it dropped a package into Ryou's awaiting hand.

Ryou opened the beautifully wrapped package curiously. "Oh my," he breathed, as people leaned, wondering with great anticipation what lay inside, "creampuffs!" /Thank you, 'Kura!/

People sighed at the anticlimactic present.

Bakura appeared beside his other half in spirit form. /Happy birthday, tenshi/ he said gently.

* * *

After their classes ended Ryou's friends threw him a little party in the Common Room. Bakura attended in spirit form, and at the end told Ryou that he would be staying at the school with him when not at Death Eater meetings, even if it meant staying in spirit form for longer amounts of time. Ryou grinned in response and thanked him. Bakura smirked and answered that the best part is that they would be able to sleep together in Ryou's dormitory bed thanks to some spells he had found, which became completely unnoticeable when blended with shadow magic...

Yet...

Would the dark become grey when mixed with the light?

Does danger become peace when nullified?

* * *

The next day Tom stopped Harry before the latter could sit down.

"Harry, perhaps you would like to sit at my table this morning?" His smile did not reach his eyes.

Harry looked around, noticing that yet again everyone was staring at him. He wasn't sure whether or not it would be against the rules, but he knew he had no choice either way. "Alright," he answered.

Tom lead him to the seat next to his at the head of the Slytherin table. People watched with baited breath as they both sat down. "You may begin eating," he told his House, smirking as they followed his order.

"Albus… is that against the rules?" McGonagall asked Dumbledore quietly.

"No, not really," Dumbledore replied, eyes twinkling. "I think inter-house interactions should be encouraged, and this is an acceptable example of that."

"They make a cute couple, don't they?" Yami asked, amused at everyone's reactions to Tom's power play, not at all saying what he truly thought of the events.

Snape glared at the red-eyed teacher and at Sal. "This is very suspicious," he growled.

Dumbledore had a mixed expression on his face. "Ah, but young love can change you, convince you in so many ways…" His heart clenched painfully as memories of his summer with Gellert sprung back into his mind.

* * *

The day after that Tom seated himself next to Harry at the Gryffindor table.

Harry's house mates were bursting for need of gossip-mongering, but his presence made the situation incalculably more awkward.

* * *

Tom glared at Harry's hand as he gripped it tightly. "I'm going to kill her." He announced, voice low, but the reality of the threat very clear.

Harry just shook his head, not really knowing what to say.

* * *

Over time, the students became accustomed to Tom and Harry's table switching, and simply carried on their conversations as if nothing had happened.

* * *

Yami looked up as the door to his office opened.

Snape sneered as he locked the door behind himself and sat down. "What game are you playing?" he demanded.

"Game? I haven't the faintest idea of what you're talking about." Yami replied easily.

"Don't lie, _Atemu_. I know you have something to do with Voldemort's newest Death Eater. I want to know what that is, and whose side you're on." Snape said icily.

"Newest Death Eater?" Yami faked confusion.

Snape grit his teeth. "Answer me."

Yami raised an eyebrow.

"I'm warning you, _Professor_, that if you won't tell me, I'll find out eventually. I will _not_ go _easy_ on you."

"Good luck, then," Yami replied in a pleasant voice.

Snape glared, knowing full well Yami was lying through his teeth. But lies were so pervasive, so smooth, so masterful, that Snape didn't know where to start the entanglement.

* * *

Snape stalked into the dark chamber.

Voldemort sat in his throne, petting Nagini. "What do you have to report to me, Severus?"

Snape inclined his head. "My Lord, there is a new student at Hogwarts who was sorted into Slytherin for his fifth year. He claims to have been home-schooled before. He managed to become the Slytherin head within a day of entering the castle. His name is Sal de Ayrseth."

Voldemort leaned forward, pretending to be intrigued. "How interesting," he mused.

"That's not all, my Lord. He somehow managed to seduce Potter. Now they are 'boyfriends' and this boy even makes Potter sit at the Slytherin table when he wishes. On top of that, he seems to have a ... _genius_... level of intelligence."

"You think he is trying to impress me?"

"Yes. He is definitely trying to gain your attention, especially with how he so blatantly disregards the Slytherin inter-house politics while he leads them."

"Very well. Continue monitoring him, Severus. I shall contact him if I see he is satisfactory."

"Yes, my Lord," Snape bowed his head.

"Is that all?"

"No, my Lord. I also suspect the new History of Magic teacher knows your new Death Eater, Akefia. I think they are planning something."

The glamoured man raised an eyebrow, trying not to show his amusement on his face. How he loved playing with his greasy spy. '_Snape will pay for his disloyalty in time. No need to show my hand too early._'

* * *

Harry was about to head to one of his meetings with Tom when Hermione and Ron stopped him.

His two friends shared a glance. Hermione took a deep breath. "Harry, I think you should be careful with Sal. Ron and I have thought this over and talked about it. We think he may be working for Voldemort."

Harry was silent, guilt eating him from the inside for keeping so many important secrets from his best friends. His friends, who had stood with him against so many challenges, who had helped him face death without fear. He stiffened, not wanting to face reality, the entity which he had been avoiding all summer. How could he explain the unexplainable? Impossible, even to fit in a book?

A coldness gripped his heart.

Seeing Harry's silence, Ron continued. "Mate, you saw how he became the Snakes' leader by basically the first day. That's not natural, no matter how smart somebody is."

Hermione nodded. "He has to be hiding something, Harry! Something big and terrible."

Harry tried to think of excuses, more lies, create more confusion, but his body wouldn't listen to him, didn't want to continue his dirty game. Instead, he said "Follow me."

He led them to the Room of Requirement.

Tom looked up from his book. "Harry—oh, you brought your … _friends_?" His tone was biting and sickly sweet. It made Harry suddenly feel sick.

"Show them," he said, quietly and with false confidence, "show them your true self. If you want me by your side then you'll have to bring them along too."

Tom slowly stood and walked over to whisper in Harry's ear. "You'll pay for this, _pet_. You can make my followers do your sheep's orders, but you cannot force Lord Voldemort's hand."

The fake teen stepped back and turned to the other two teens in the room. "Curiosity killed the cat, I'm afraid. However... I will allow Harry's request."

He dropped the glamours on his wand and face with a small wave of his hand.

The two students looked at his handsome face with confusion. Suddenly, Hermione gasped, noticing his wand. "You're Voldemort!"

They drew their wands, though Ron was still unsure of how Hermione arrived at her conclusion.

Tom clapped slowly, sarcastically. "How observant," he mocked.

"Aren't you supposed to be old and …snake-y?" Ron accused.

Tom's smile couldn't really be described as a smile, because its terrifying qualities cancelled out all traces of happiness, sucked out all positive emotions within a monstrous radius. "You have the most charming friends, Harry." His words were worse than his smile.

Harry bit his lip in anger, not looking at Tom or his friends. He was stiff and torn.

Hermione noticed Harry's lack of wand. "You knew," she said softly. She slowly lowered her wand.

Harry nodded, a jerky, forced motion.

Ron switched his gaze to and from his friends. "Harry… you knew… you were dating Voldemort?"

Harry was silent. His silence felt like a million words.

The room became even more tense than it had been before. The air seemed to choke and push and pull. It was heavy in its fullness. It was selfish in its emptiness.

Hermione cleared her throat. "Well… I'm sure there's some reasonable explanation for this all," She tried to smile but failed. She was too innocent for their games.

Tom reluctantly pushed Harry onto the couch and sat down beside him. He then transfigured another for their guests.

He raised an eyebrow at them and they quickly sat down.

* * *

Harry told them of the Shadow Council, of what he learned in Gringotts, of how he was a Horcrux. He told them of the true nature of magic, of its thin lines, objective distinctions. He relayed tales of dirty history, dirty politics, scared mindlessness. He explained that his relationship with Tom was actually rather peaceful. He explained some of their plans for the future.

Their conversations carried late into the night, and they ended by agreeing to meet up again in the Room later and join Tom's lessons.

Tom grabbed Harry's wrist as he was about to leave. "Oh no, not you. I have plans for us tonight," He purred and hissed his words. His grip tightened painfully.

Harry slept in Voldemort's bed that night, fully engulfed in the darkness.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

As the light came and took Harry out of the dark, he still lay trapped in the blankets. They were white and pure, unknowingly hiding Harry's nightmares and terrors from the world, innocent of recklessness, non-criminally negligent. His rage flared. Why did reality so carelessly hide truth?

His anger seemed to touch everything; it was all-consuming and self-defeating, a destruction of self, a destruction of non-self. It had nowhere to go; it went everywhere. He tried to save all; it damned all. In his confusion he didn't know who had guilt, who was innocent.

Was he turning into a monster, tainted by the darkness? Tainted by reality, by interaction, by realizations? But, who had tainted him first, really? The Light or the embracing Dark? _Who__ was corrupting __who__ in this relationship?_

He shook himself.

He had no need to go into Zizek's life and death paradox.

Harry tried to look at his situation rationally. Was he seduced by Tom's lies and promises, or had Tom's words spoke truth, cutting out reins of manipulation? Or, was it the God Ra's fault, forcing him into this situation? Tom, Harry, Ra, Yami, Yugi, Akefia, Ryou...? _Who? _None? All? A Devil's mix...!

His Occam's Razor wilted, dissolved. The complexity of all sides, all his views, was so immense it choked him, made his eyes tear.

Scrambling for another idea, another explanation, he took no notice of the red eyes opening and focusing all attentions on him.

Just a little more, a little more and he could—

"You won't get anywhere," Tom whispered in his ear, "not in that path of thought,"

"No," Harry said weakly. He would keep fighting, keep—

"I've thought about it all before. I've tried to follow pure reason; I've failed like all before me." The corner of his mouth twitched upward slightly. "Your sudden return to logic and reason will be useless in the end. Humans cannot get out of their human shell. Did you not know that our brains process emotions first, before any so-called 'reason' can touch the pathway of information?"

Harry disagreed loudly in his mind. Everything had deteriorated! His friendships, his plans for life, even his relationship with Voldemort! He couldn't leave it like this. He had to find a solution- before it was too late! Where was his precious, priceless opportunity—

Tom was suddenly kissing him, ruthlessly, passionately. Harry kissed back, hopelessly, silently, with a sudden absence of emotions after an unknown, mysterious flare.

He did not know whether a problem had been solved or created.

* * *

Bakura was a silent, invisible monster in the shadows of Dumbledore's office. His expression was mind-numbingly terrifying; but it wasn't; for it was not actually visible. Objectively, it was nothing to pay attention to, was it? Subjectively, would it not reward the paranoid? Would it not destroy the paranoid, chasing invincible challenges?

He could not force Dumbledore's hand, perhaps. But, he would steal it.

The phoenix smiled at him.

An illusion, no doubt, from the bird's too-many human interactions, a shadow of an experience, directed to current reality?

Was it genuine, or a lie?

* * *

Umbridge did not like Mr. Atemu. Not one _bit_. His Devil's Smile annoyed her. She hated its audacity to lie openly, hide masterfully.

He was knowledgeable. She disagreed with everything he said.

She passed Educational Decree 26, trying in vain to stop his methods of interconnections. It had flowed so smoothly…

He was not afraid of her. When she observed his lessons he did not seem to bat an eyelash at her.

She did not truly understand his lessons.

He scared her, but she lied to herself, told herself he didn't.

* * *

Ron and Hermione weren't as successful in the dark arts as Harry was. Harry tried to convince himself that it was simply because he was a Horcrux, that he had more experience…

Quidditch had resumed, much to Tom's displeasure. Harry suddenly saw its relative triviality, but did not pay attention to his realization much. Flying was something Harry could never give up. It was a kind of freedom; it was a relief from responsibility; it was a chance to live in the moment, like a child.

* * *

Yugi and Ryou had joined their lessons, saying that they were interested in researching their magic more.

* * *

Hermione approached Harry during one of their meetings. "Harry, why don't we just make a Dueling Club? If Voldemort is trying to get more people to accept the dark arts and such, wouldn't he appreciate a bigger group to preach to?"

Tom overheard her and hissed his disagreement. "Interacting with even more _children_?"

Harry grabbed Tom's arm. "Wait, think about it, Tom. You said yourself that-" Harry paused, "children… are easier to convince than adults. It's a great opportunity for you."

Voldemort's lips pressed into a thin line. "Fine," he spat.

* * *

That Hogsmeade weekend the Golden Trio sat in the Hog's Head and gathered signatures of students who were interested in the idea of a Dueling Club. A somewhat surprisingly large number of students showed up, which Harry thought meant that most had realized the uselessness of Umbridge's lessons.

The students questioned, yes, but not enough. Hogwarts had cemented its semi-religious identity in their minds. They did not question Hogwarts. They questioned Umbridge, and a smaller number – the ministry.

Who had the bravery to take the leap? To cross over society's line?

To take action once the realization started clawing, from the inside out?

* * *

_*I'm not a fan of Zizek, but I do like his discussion of 'life' meanings, which I referred to in this chapter._

_For those of you who are unfamiliar with his philosophy I took the liberty of pasting his quote below:_

_"The tautological emptiness of a Master's Wisdom is exemplified in the inherent stupidity of proverbs. Let us engage in a mental experiment by way of trying to construct proverbial wisdom out of the relationship between terrestrial life, its pleasures, and its Beyond. If ones says, "Forget about the afterlife, about the Elsewhere, seize the day, enjoy life fully here and now, it's the only life you've got!" it sounds deep. If one says exactly the opposite ("Do not get trapped in the illusory and vain pleasures of earthly life; money, power, and passions are all destined to vanish into thin air - think about eternity!"), it also sounds deep. If one combines the two sides ("Bring Eternity into your everyday life, live your life on this earth as if it is already permeated by Eternity!"), we get another profound thought. Needless to add, the same goes for it's inversion: "Do not try in vain to bring together Eternity and your terrestrial life, accept humbly that you are forever split between Heaven and Earth!" If, finally, one simply gets perplexed by all these reversals and claims: "Life is an enigma, do not try to penetrate its secrets, accept the beauty of its unfathomable mystery!" the result is, again, no less profound than its reversal: "Do not allow yourself to be distracted by false mysteries that just dissimulate the fact that, ultimately, life is very simple - it is what it is, it is simply here without reason and rhyme!" Needless to add that, by uniting mystery and simplicity, one again obtains a wisdom: "The ultimate, unfathomable mystery of life resides in its very simplicity, in the simple fact that there is life.""_

_-Slavoj Zizek_


	12. Chapter 11

[AN: I'm going by the movie Decree numbering, I think… *shrug*]

* * *

"_Wherever children are gathered into groups by compulsion, a pecking order soon emerges in which malice, mockery, intimidation of the weak, envy, and a whole range of other nasty characteristics hold sway, like that famous millpond of Huxley's whose quiet surface mirroring fall foliage conceals a murderous subterranean world whose law is eaten or be eaten."_

"_School… [is] a pressure-cooker of psycho-drama."_

* * *

**Chapter 11**

Harry opened Sirius's letter eagerly, fittingly for a boy hungering for love, wanting for family.

He smiled as he read through the letter. It held no complex games of politics, no threats or seductions, no great manifesto. It was simple, a recount of the happiness of freedom, of a rediscovering of life.

It relaxed him; it showed it him beauty.

It let his mind stray from its circular paths, into a straight, ordered, way, perhaps for the first time in months.

* * *

Their Club meetings went relatively well. Under Tom's watchful eye, the Slytherins did not disobey rules to hex the Gryffindors. The Gryffindors avoided the Slytherins for the most part, and the other houses eventually came to accept both groups for the duration of their meetings.

First, Tom had them perfect their techniques for spells they already knew. Then, he gradually started introducing stronger light and dark spells. They held small dueling competitions, and Tom told them philosophy and history – theory, yes, but a strong contrast to Umbridge's meaningless, sterile texts.

Their equality came from their knowledge of their essential inequality.

Tom knew of the dangers of these schooling dynamics, and he crushed them. They remained scattered, in bloody bits, for only the time it took for their meetings. He built the Club as a time for unity in difference, suppressed inter-personal jealousy in exchange for intra-personal motivations. It was a kind of 'Miracle in the Room of Requirement.' Only slowly did the conditions trickle out the door crack, slowly merging reality with his quasi-fantasy, never quite fully integrating, but slightly influencing.

Only then, did they start accepting their inabilities to perform certain spells. Tom assured them it could be caused by their age differences, family affiliations. When they seeped in the thoughts of their uniqueness, they started accepting his philosophies, his political theories.

* * *

Unfortunately, all good things had to come to an end during Umbridge's Reign of Terror.

She had somehow discovered the knowledge of their Club's existence, and hence came Educational Decree 68, banning all student organizations and groups with three or more members. They were forced to suspend the Club's meetings, and resume the small learning group consisting of only Harry and his immediate group of friends, knowing anything else would be too dangerous.

* * *

Nobody frowned or showed any signs of unhappiness when the Centaur came in, just before Christmas Break, holding Umbridge's head. He claimed her life in exchange for her unthinking mockeries and insults to his species.

Harry smiled at the righteous half-man.

People even slowly started clapping, whispering about discriminations against magical creatures and beings.

Tom smirked in approval.

* * *

True to his word, Tom spent the Christmas break with Harry, exploring the latter's inherited estates.

They opened gifts in England. They enjoyed the ocean breeze in Spain. They walked Germany's streets, shopping along Marktgasse, and stopped at Switzerland, making memories in Neuchatel palace gardens.

They made love in France.

* * *

Dumbledore was not an evil man. He simply wanted a position of power for himself, and assured stability in the wizarding world. Like most adults and elders, he disliked change, more especially when it was not in his favor.

Does one have to be a Popperian master of societal philosophy to notice the essentialness of change and reformation?

He noticed the change in his students' behaviors. He knew its origins lay with the mysterious new Slytherin fifth year. He was running out of options for gaining an upper hand; he was desperate for sabotage.

Hence why, when Bakura showed up and demanded the Defense position for the remainder of the year, offering him tantalizing information as a spy for Voldemort, Dumbledore foolishly agreed.

* * *

Snape halted in his steps on the way to the teacher's table, his eyes instantly switching to a glare as he saw the white mane sitting in Umbridge's position.

Once the students came into the Hall, they looked curiously between Ryou and the new teacher. A strange resemblance… The second twins' arrival.

Hermione and Ron started sending Ryou suspicious glances.

The way the light sent soft, happy glances at the mysterious evil did not help.

* * *

Bakura's lessons were tough, dangerous, exciting. Ryou was the only safe one, though only thanks to the fact that Bakura had long ago finished carving his 'lessons' into his skin.

He had apologized, really.

Bakura justified his knife flinging by asking the students what would happen if their wands were lost in the middle of battle.

Morning runs became reasonably popular.

* * *

As their coursework reached an all-time high, Tom whispered into Harry's mind, a soft burst of poisonous perfumed wind. "The Battle approaches…"


	13. Chapter 12

_[AN:Yes, two chapters in one day. *bows*]_

* * *

**Chapter 12**

Tom knew that in order to win, he had to get Dumbledore alone, away from his supporters and pawns. Only then could he get the satisfaction of defeating him single-handedly; only then would he be able to see his face when he revealed his true identity; only then could he gain his revenge, for the childhood Dumbledore and the other wizards kept from him.

* * *

The announcement came through the Daily Prophet.

Voldemort would attack Hogwarts in exactly ten days.

The note they received had been signed in blood.

* * *

This time, Tom killed for show.

He knew taking down the Light's symbol and leader, Dumbledore, would be enough.

But, he didn't want it to be suspicious. He even fired some curses at Harry, knowing the boy would dodge.

Tom cornered the two into a classroom, locking the door, silencing its insides.

"Why are you doing this, Tom?" Dumbledore tried to talk the Dark Lord out of it, despite knowing his effort's hopelessness.

"I have no need for your speeches, Headmaster, nor your inane questions. I have nothing to learn from you."

"You are mistaken. You never knew love, never knew mercy-"

"Really now?" Voldemort cancelled his glamours.

"Sal…" Dumbledore said softly. "I suspected…" He switched his gaze to Harry. "You-"

"I knew," Harry said. It was quiet, but it pierced the silence.

"How did it happen, Harry? You had always been so innocent, so eager to please…"

"You never did think that someone could be as great an actor as yourself, Professor." Harry said softly, shaking head sadly.

"You think this is your answer? Your salvation? That by joining your arch-enemy, you would fulfill this teenage rebellion?" Dumbledore chastised, a harsh edge to his voice.

"No, Professor. By joining Tom, I join reality. I reject your illusions."

Harry nodded his head to Tom.

He watched with a heavy heart as Dumbledore met his demise.

* * *

In the confusion, tragedy, and celebration, it went unnoticed that the Voldemort that Harry defeated was a fake…

* * *

The battle had been much less bloody than people had expected. Though Dumbledore had died, Harry defeated Voldemort soon after. The Death Eaters had been oddly lenient with the students, instead aiming for Aurors and Order members.

After the funerals, mournings, and social rituals, things went back to a state of quasi-normalcy.

McGonagall replaced Dumbledore as the head of Hogwarts.

Harry received an Order of Merlin.

The OWLs and NEWTs were only delayed a week, and Tom took both at the end of the year, officially graduating from Hogwarts due to his excellent marks on both.

Minister Fudge died from his battle wound.

Tom campaigned and won the Minister position. He was marketed as the young genius, the powerful lover of Harry Potter, the best of his generation.

* * *

"Congratulations, Tom Riddle. You have passed Lord Ra's test." Yami told him.

"Harry, now you and Tom are honorary members of the Shadow Council. Ra gave you guys weaker versions of our own powers." Yugi smiled at them.

Tom smirked evilly, happy to gain more advantages over his enemies.

* * *

"What do you think of the Shadow Council?" Tom asked him one day.

Harry blinked a few times. "They're… alright, I guess. Why?"

"At the beginning I planned to crush them once I passed Ra's silly test. Now I know it would be impossible. I would be lying if I said that the thought does not anger me."

Harry gave him a sympathetic glance. "You can't win all your battles, Tom."

The older male made a non-committal sound.

* * *

Tom had to admit that the boy was growing on him. He enjoyed Harry's presence; he liked kissing his soft, plump lips; he liked watching his body tremble as he touched him, as their bodies joined.

He did know if it was love, and didn't care. The boy was his.

* * *

Their wedding was a politico-social affair. Everybody who was somebody in Wizarding Britain attended.

Tom played the loving, charming husband well.

Harry was left feeling numb by it all.


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

There was a yell of pain, and Tom was quickly awoke, his torso violently pushed up. He blinked quickly as he felt the feelings of hurt flowing into his mind. /What happened?/ He pulled on a pair of pants and went to where he sensed Harry's presence.

He saw Harry clutching his foot and hopping around the kitchen. He cleared his throat.

"Oh," Harry looked up at him. "sorry for waking you… Er, the knife dropped on my foot… It didn't cut me or anything…"

"You forgot to close our mind-link. I felt it."

Harry apologized again and told him that he was almost done with their breakfast.

Tom frowned at his sudden realization: he wouldn't be able to hurt the boy, without hurting himself.

* * *

The Death Eaters had disbanded for the most part, with Tom only keeping his Inner Circle to help play his political games.

* * *

Tom served the Dursley's just desserts for Harry's birthday.

* * *

Yugi and Ryou decided to stay at Hogwarts for the time being.

* * *

_*Time skip*_

* * *

"Harry, what's wrong? You seem a bit… depressed, lately?" Hermione looked at him worriedly.

Harry sighed and shook his head. "I don't know, Hermione… I just… I… I miss him." He finished quietly. "I can't really explain it. I keep expecting him to be sitting at the Slytherin table, to wake up seeing his face…"

Hermione faltered, clearing her throat awkwardly. "Well, I suppose it's normal to miss the person you're married to... even if it is Voldemort…" she whispered his name, not wanting anybody to overhear.

"I don't really think of him as Voldemort any longer. He's really changed since the ritual. Now, he's just… Tom. He's nice, even romantic at times." He paused in his musings. "We've bickered a few times, but I can't really blame him for anything major. He's been really busy with all the Ministry stuff, after all…"

Hermione smiled weakly. "Christmas break is coming up soon. You should tell him how you feel. Maybe it's the same for him?"

The raven-haired teen simply stared off into the distance. "Maybe..."

* * *

It was exactly the same for Tom, not that he would be fond of admitting it. He missed the boy's innocently charming personality, his honest answers, his bright smiles, his beautiful body which fit so perfectly against his own…

Time stopped, bent, ran in a doe's playful dance. Space twisted, people blurred. The moment they caught sight of each other for the first time in months was filled with a bursting tension, an intensely sorrowful longing, happiness's bright hopes.

They saw only each other; they felt only the other, as they walked towards each other and embraced; they cared not for the outside world. In that moment Tom abandoned all plans; Harry dropped all thoughts of friends, family, teachers. They seemed to become one, in that moment when they so strongly felt each other's differences and boundaries, in that moment when the space between them solidified and liquefied, vanished and reappeared, a quantum mocking.

As they sat facing each other in front of the fire, Harry was the first to speak.

"I missed you."

Tom was silent for a moment, but then "I missed you too, Harry."

Tom's eyes were burning into his own, and Harry had to look away.

"How is your Minister job?"

"It is fine. I'm sure you've heard of the changes I've implemented in the Prophet."

Harry said nothing.

"You have something on your mind. What is it?"

Harry breathed out, then found his bravery. He launched himself at his husband, tightly wrapping his arms around him. He buried his face in his chest. "I think… I love you," Harry said quietly, gripping Tom's shirt.

Tom's breath hitched. _The boy—no, Harry—loved him!_ His plan of seduction was a brilliant success, a grand achievement… But now, the younger male expected him to respond. Expected him to analyze himself, analyze his own feeling and tell him whether or not he also felt love. He noted his quickened heartbeat, his elevated mood since his arrival, the warmth of Harry's skin against his, his anticipation for the night's later activities. "I think I love you too," he whispered, arms grasping the boy's body and pushing him even closer to him, even further into his dark embrace.

Everybody had their definitions of the word; who would deny Tom his?

* * *

They were each other's guilty pleasures.

To be fair, Harry didn't question his morality as often anymore. He defended his self-assurance by noting how well the British wizarding world was turning out, the spreading equality, the weakened habits. The people he cared for were happy, the war was over. There was still evil, but it was masked, hidden, inconspicuous. There was pain, but it was silent, non-physical. Everyone was good; nobody was good. The grey had widened, had swallowed. The darkness was bleached and whitewashed; the light was corrupted, purified, muddied by reality, its caliginous side revealed.

Tom didn't see Harry or his love for him as weakness, as his former self would have. Instead, Harry was his most precious trophy, his priceless semi-possession. Harry was a powerful wizard, Tom knew, and his submission to him brought Tom great joy.

He didn't need anyone else. He did not want anybody else.

There, right in his hand, touching his fingertips was all he wanted, all that belonged to him, all that gave itself to him, all that blinded itself for him.

He had no doubt that soon he would have even more. He would accept it graciously, gladly, out of a modesty that came only after objects became easy commodities, trivialities born in time of peace.

* * *

_That was basically the end. I might write some epilogues if I think of them. _

_Let me know if you have any unanswered questions._

_I hope this story made you think, at least a little bit! :)_


End file.
